In 1857, a pair of brothers named Adolphe and Édouard-Jean Cointreau were wondering what to do with their growing business. It had been running nicely since 1849, and profits were up when they diversified out of confectionery and started making traditional Guignolet — a type of cherry brandy — but they felt they needed something new, and began tinkering with recipes. Strawberry, plum and orange were all tried, and they began to enjoy success, even winning an award, but things were relatively modest.

18 years later in 1875, Édouard-Jean's son, Édouard, took on the family business, and he and his wife Louisa believed they were sitting on a goldmine with the orange liqueur in particular. They spent years refining and perfecting the recipe — full of flavour, yet not cloyingly sweet — and expanding their team, as well as designing the beautiful square bottle that's was as distinctive and recognisable then as it is today. Cointreau was born.

The rest is alcoholic history, a drink that's a true household name and not quite like anything else on the market (the production process has remained a closely-guarded secret for 140 years). With success came money, and with money came the chance to build a lovely great chateau in the Loire Valley, the brainchild of Louis Cointreau, son of Édouard.

That chateau is now on the market via John D. Wood with an asking price of €3.99 million — or around £3.5 million — which seems rather reasonable-sounding for a palatial 10,000sq ft, 12-bedroom country house that was totally refurbished in 2018 by the sixth generation of the Cointreau family.

If you're wondering about the chateau's stonework — which is markedly different from the traditional smooth white stone of most chateaux of a similar size — it's because the place is made from pink granite, supplemented by a mix of Anjou schist (a type of metamorphic rock) and reinforced concrete, which at the time of the building's construction in 1928-32 was still a new material. The net result is a striking house, set in an elevated spot which offers wonderful views across the 500 acres of the Boudré Forest.

The interior is just as grand as the exterior — possibly even more so. A marble entrance hall opens to a grand salon, with a vintage C. Bechstein piano, a stately dining room and a smoking lounge (this is France, after all).

The bedrooms on the floors above are all themed, retaining their period character and style, and on the top floor you'll find an artist’s studio, where works by the poster artist Jean-Adrien Mercier — a relative of the Cointreaus — adorn the walls.

While it's a family home, the chateau also feels very much like a place to entertain, from the dining table that seats 24 to the.

There is a beautiful orangery that's big enough to throw a party with 120 of your closest friends. And for the special few at the end of the night, you can invite them down into the wine cellar which has been turned into a tasting room.

What better place to concoct your very own new flavour of liqueur with which to take over the world?

The Cointreau family property in Anjou is for sale at €3.99 million — see more details.

Monreith House and Estate, near the coastal village of Port William in Dumfries and Galloway, is a Category A-listed Georgian mansion. Set in 329 acres, it was built in the 1790s for the Maxwell family. Now, almost 250 years later, the Maxwells are moving on, and Monreith is now on the market, with offers sought over £1.89 million.

Having previously been based at Myrton Castle, the Maxwells of Monreith became one of the most important families in the area and notable members include Gavin Maxwell, the naturalist and author of Ring of Bright Water.

By the start of the millennium, the house had fallen into disrepair. In 2011, it was featured in Channel 4’s series Country House Rescue, during which the host, Ruth Watson, tried to help Sir Michael Maxwell address the financial challenges he faced. The property is being sold out of the family for the first time.

At the heart of the estate is the mansion house with 15 bedrooms, and definitely in need of a generational overhaul.

While work does need doing, this is a grand and impressive home, with huge windows, high ceilings and fascinating details to be uncovered. Take the billiards room as just one example, with its engraved bookshelving, bespoke cabinets and an original fireplace. Houses simply aren't built this way any more.

There is also far more on offer than the house itself, though: mature woodland, the White Loch of Myrton, several cottages and Kirkmaiden Church, set on the coastline.

Selling agent Kay Paton of Savills says that it presents an opportunity for someone who has an interest in restoring the historic property, which includes gems such as tapestries that once hung in the castle that burned down and made way for the building of Monreith.

‘It will also appeal to someone who doesn’t mind living a quieter life off the beaten track in a beautiful, but often overlooked part of Scotland,’ she adds.

‘People don’t turn left often enough after they cross the border to discover it.’

Monreith is for sale via Savills for offers over £1.89 million — see more details.

All good things come to an end, as is the case for the extended Bates family, wool merchants from the West Riding of Yorkshire who became one of Liverpool’s most powerful commercial dynasties in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Their home, historic Grade II-listed Gyrn Castle, set in 67 acres of lakes, woods and parkland on the edge of the ancient Flintshire village of Llanasa, North Wales, is a recent addition to the market and, as such, marks the end of the estate’s 150-plus years in Bates ownership. It’s for sale through the Chester office of Jackson-Stops at a guide price of £2 million.

This imposing, castellated mansion stands on high ground overlooking the picturesque coastline of this part of Wales and boasts magnificent views over the Dee estuary, the Wirral peninsula and the skyline of Liverpool 35 miles away.

According to its Cadw listing, the present house dates from the late 17th century and was part of the important Mostyn estate in the early 18th century. In 1750, it was sold to Thomas Hughes of Halkyn and later to John Douglas, a cotton manufacturer in nearby Holywell. He remodelled it in 1817–24, with the addition of a third storey, the projecting dining room at the north end of the house and the picture gallery and attached tower at the south end. In 1856, Gyrn Castle was acquired as a country retreat by Sir Edward Bates, who appears to have made only minor alterations to the house, although added numerous outbuildings.

Sir Edward Bates, 1st Baronet (1816–96), was a ship owner and politician whose eventful career spanned almost the whole of Queen Victoria’s reign. He began his career in the wool-finishing business started by his father, Joseph Bates, who, following the ending of the East India Company’s monopoly on trade with India, started a company that exported his woollen cloth from Halifax via the fast-growing port of Liverpool.

Edward was sent to Calcutta to join his elder brother and remained in India until 1848, when he returned to England to start up his own shipping business, initially chartering ships for the Bombay trade. By 1870, he had built a fleet of 51 sailing vessels and he went on to own 130 ships in his lifetime. He was awarded a baronetcy by Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli in 1880.

Sir Edward died in 1896, followed in quick succession by his son and eldest grandson, and, in 1903, 24-year-old Percy Elly Bates, 4th Baronet, became the principal partner of Edward Bates and Sons. Sir Percy went on to become one of the giants of the shipping industry in the first half of the 20th century, most famously for his role, as head of Cunard, in the building of RMS Queen Mary and RMS Queen Elizabeth. Sir Percy had his own house at Hinderton Hall, Cheshire, and, in 1922, he sold Gyrn Castle to his brother, Frederic, who moved there following his marriage in 1932.

Frederic Bates had no children and, on his death in 1957, Gyrn Castle and estate passed to his nephew, Sir Geoffrey Bates, 5th baronet. In 1941, Sir Geoffrey joined the Kings Royal Irish Hussars and gained a reputation as a dashing troop leader, winning a Military Cross in North Africa in 1942. He was High Sheriff of Flintshire in 1969 and, according to Christie’s, which held an auction of the contents of Gyrn Castle following his death in 2005, ‘he gave much of his time to the Flint and Denbigh Hunt, often riding his well-known horse, Sam, with the same dash as with the Irish Hussars’.

In 2008, the Gyrn Castle estate was sold to Charlotte Whitelocke-Winter, Sir Geoffrey’s third wife’s daughter from a previous marriage and the wife of the late David Howard of Cerrigllwydion Hall, Denbigh, on whose behalf it is now being sold. A further 297½ acres and two gatehouses are available by separate negotiation.

Most recently used to host corporate events and weddings, the main house offers 16,771sq ft of elegant living space on three floors, including reception and great halls, three grand reception rooms, a small dining room, study, kitchen with breakfast area, domestic offices and staff quarters, extensive cellars, master and guest suites, 10 further bedrooms and four more bathrooms.

In recent years, Gyrn Castle has seen the upgrading of the house and ancillary buildings, including extensive roofing works, the repointing of exposed stone walls, the rerendering of the north-west elevation, removal of wet and dry rot, damp remediation works and the sensitive restoration of many of the windows.

Of particular importance is the installation of a biomass wood-chip central-heating system, which serves the castle, but has the capacity to also serve the self-contained flat and the cottage within the courtyard range of outbuildings.

Gyrn Castle is for sale at £2 million — see more details and pictures.

At Country Life, as you'd imagine, we come across a lot of property capable of eliciting 'ooohhs' and 'aahhhs'. It's like going to a fireworks display every day.

The ooohs and aaahs are almost always of the 'good' kind, when we write about the sort of house that Queen Victoria's chaplain might live in, or Alan Titchmarsh's lovely Hampshire home, which is on the market right now.

Sometimes, though, the 'ooohs' and 'aaahs' have a different tone: instead of 'OOH-ooh-OOH!' they become, 'OH-oh....'; and this is the sound produced when you come across a seemingly idyllic home that looks like it'll bring a few headaches with it.

What is very rare, though, is for the images attached to a property listing to alternate between the 'OOH-ooh-OOHs' and the 'OH-ohs...'. But that's exactly what we found in the case of Orchil Castle, a Perthshire pile just down the road from Gleneagles, which is for sale at £2.1 million via Fine & Country.

No doubt, like us, you've already OOH-ooh-OOHed at external view of the castle, the lake and the 56 acres of Perthshire that come with the sale. We'd expect you'll make a similar noise when appreciating the gorgeous entrance hall and the strikingly pretty, boldly-decorated reception rooms.

As we flicked through the images and headed upstairs, the smiles continued. The views! The room sizes! The beautiful bay windows! The thoughtfulness of the estate agent who ran a bubble bath before taking a photo!

And then we got to the rooms which are — well — in a pretty poor state; the good OOH-ooh-OOHs stopped, the worried OH-ohs began. As gorgeous as Orchil Castle is, it'll need someone with a strong constitution, deep pockets and the will to lead a project to bring this Category B-listed Scots baronial house back to its best.

If the house has a few rough edges, that's unsurprising. Two fires during the 20th century caused a large amount of damage; in 1917, the whole place was gutted, while a 1967 fire destroyed the roof. It's had spells as a foster home, a rehab centre and a bible study retreat — and even for a time to keep pigs, as The Scotsman reported back in 2016: 'The farmer chose to live in the castle’s former laundry, and allowed his pigs and sheep to roam amongst the marble fireplaces and carved oak panelling on the ground floor of the castle.' It's a far cry from the glory days of the 20s, when King George VI — then the Duke of York — his brother George, Duke of Kent, were said to be regular visitors.

So while it's not perfect, a huge amount has been done in recent decades and for the most part Orchil is in good shape, with most of the work to be done concentrated on the second floor. The prize at the end, for whoever finishes Orchil off, feels like it'll be well worth the effort: the floorplan is a veritable Cluedo board of rooms, with particularly grand dining and drawing rooms, a morning room — with french windows out onto the grounds — and extensive basements.

One corner of the ground floor is set up as a self-contained, three-bedroom apartment, ideal for multi-generation living, or perhaps as a place to live while you carry out any work needed on the rest of the castle.

On the first floor are four bedrooms — all with their own bathrooms — and a chapel. The second floor is marked out on the floorplan and offers huge potential; at over 17,000 sq ft, this is a huge property.

This house was commissioned in 1867 by Rev John McDougall, who engaged architect Andrew Heiton Junior. Heiton was a talented, ambitious and tireless man who served for a while as city architect of Perth, designing many of the most beautiful buildings in the area.

Beyond the main house, the estate also includes a two-bedroom cottage — which you'll be happy to know has already been restored, with underfloor heating and tasteful finishes.

And just as you'd expect of any castle worthy of the name, the grounds are wonderful. There's a series of terraced lawns, a four-acre loch (complete with boathouse), a walled garden and various outbuildings. What's more, the proximity to Gleneagles brings not just world class golf and leisure facilities, but also a railway station that links directly to London, via sleeper service should you want to come up or head down overnight. Does it go without saying that a location like this might make it a splendid boutique hotel, subject to the right permissions? Or should it stay as a grand, single residence? We'll look with interest at what happens next.

Orchil Castle is for sale via Fine & Country at £2.1 million — see more details.

At Country Life, we bow to nobody in our love of castles — and not just because we have one of the world's foremost castle experts on our team, in the form of our architectural editor John Goodall.

And while we love the castles of Britain most of all, that doesn't mean that we don't appreciate the continental take on what is without question the most dramatic, romantic type of building on the planet.

Today, we're looking at some wonders that we've come across for sale on the continent. And once you've finished enjoying these, don't miss our look at the best castles for sale in Scotland.

Italy — £2.5 million

A glorious Italian castle — also pictured at the top of this page — has come up for sale in the medieval borgo of Sant'Apollinare, close to the charming village of Spina, in the hills roughly half-way between Rome and Florence, not far from Perugia.

The building is over 1,000 years old, and was originally built as a defensive castle though it went on to become a monastery, and eventually a nobleman's home.

This is a huge property, which comes with around 180 acres of land stretching down into the valley below. The main castle alone is some 16,500 sq ft, a fair amount of which is built below ground level and into the hill itself. Eight bedrooms, a string of reception rooms, kitchens and more are here, and with this much space the agents suggest it could be converted into a wonderful boutique hotel. We can't wait to see what happens next.

For sale via Knight Frank — see more details.

France — £22.5 million

A neo-Gothic castle built at the end of the 19th century, set close to Blois, Bourges, and Orleans — and therefore near some of the greatest chateaux in France — this is a magnificent creation offering over 32,000 sq ft of space.

'A rare place, designed to transcend eras without sacrificing authenticity,' say the agents, 'destined for those seeking an extraordinary property ready to write a new chapter in history.' Nicely put.

For sale via Espaces Atypiques — see more details.

Germany — £4.5 million

What could be better than living in a castle? Living in a castle beside a spectacular, unspoilt lake. And that's what is on offer in the penthouse of Schloss Possenhofen, near the German town of Pocking, just south of Munich.

The lake — or the Starnberger See, as it's called — is a fittingly beautiful setting for this old palace, built for Elisabeth, the daughter of Duke Max Joseph, who went on to become Empress of Austria.

The sale isn't for the entire castle, though it does include the entire second floor and the (as yet undeveloped) attic space above. There are three bedrooms, magnificent communal gardens reserved solely for the castle residents, and panoramic views which reach as far as the Bavarian Alps.

For sale via Christie's International Real Estate — see more details.

‘Contrary to popular belief, many of today’s buyers aren’t necessarily seeking vast acreages, although features such as coastal or loch-side access and a sense of wilderness are increasingly sought after,’ says Luke French of Savills in Edinburgh. He cites the example of a recent off-market sale on the Sutherland coast, where 60% of interest came from European buyers. The estate was eventually acquired by a French family who are regular visitors to Scotland.

Those who missed out might well be tempted by Mr French's latest property: the secluded, 1,080-acre Corsindae Estate in Aberdeenshire, for which Savills seek ‘offers over £4.4m’.

Set amid rolling hills and rich farmland against the backdrop of the Bennachie Hills, the estate lies between the villages of Sauchen and Midmar, some 14 miles equidistant from Inverurie on the River Don and Banchory on the Dee.

The castle-like Corsindae House sits snugly within landscaped grounds that include expansive lawns, specimen trees, a walled garden and ancient woodland, all of which provide a high degree of privacy. To the west lies a loch, a haven for wildlife, with an island accessible by rowing boat and a small hexagonal grass-roofed cabin.

Inside, the house offers comfortable and spacious accommodation on four levels, including five fine reception rooms, six bedrooms and three bathrooms.

Highlights include two grand, interconnected, first-floor drawing-rooms, which together form an expansive space with magnificent views across the gardens, loch and the surrounding countryside.

Originally granted by Seton of Gordon to the second Lord Forbes in 1450, the estate centres on the Category B-listed Corsindae House, the oldest part of which was a modest tower house, completed in 1484 and rebuilt on a three-storey L-plan in the 16th century; a laundry wing was added at the rear in the 1600s.

In 1727, the Forbes family sold Corsindae to Lord Braco of the Duff family, who reimagined the house in the Queen Anne style. In the early 1800s, William Duff added the east wing, turret and entrance gates. Soon afterwards, the rounded west wing was built, thereby doubling the size of the drawing room, and the roof of the house was raised to create a service wing.

In 1928, the present owner’s father, Laurence Fyffe, inherited the estate at the age of eight. His father, then Bishop of Rangoon, was unable to live at Corsindae and, in the early 1930s, the family sold the estate to Thomas Innes of Learny, who never lived there either.

The Fyffe family continued to visit every summer and, when Innes announced plans to partially demolish the house, they bought the estate back in 1944. Fyffe and his wife, Cynthia, made Corsindae their permanent home in 1953, and set about restoring the house, which was harled and painted white to unify the appearance of the various stonework additions.

The present owner was brought up there and returned with his wife in 1989, since when they have raised their family and managed the farm and estate.

The Corsindae Estate is for sale at offers over £4.4 million — see more details.

'As the express train hurtles north from Berwick-upon-Tweed towards Edinburgh, many passengers must have glimpsed the imposing sulhouette of Ayton Castle on its wooded ridge above the River Eye and sighed "Scotland at last"'. So wrote the architecture critic Michael Hall in Country Life in 1993 when telling the tale of Ayton Castle.

Three decades on, its visual impact is just as great; this time, though, it appears in Country Life not as a 'masterpiece of the baronial revival' (as Hall called it), but as a grand country home. It came on to the market in 2025 with GSC Grays and Knight Frank at £3.25 million, and has now been bought by Alan Carr, the comedian, presenter and winner of Celebrity Traitors at a different Scottish castle, Ardross.

'Some men when they have a midlife crisis buy a Lamborghini or grow a ponytail, but me — I want my very own castle,' Carr told the BBC.

'Since I was a boy in Northampton, I've always dreamt big, and have always been enchanted with the history and romance of a stately home and as I turn 50, I feel it's my time.

'All I want is a turret to call my own — get me over that drawbridge.'

Ayton doesn't have a drawbridge — at least, not yet. Carr's transformation of the place is about to begin, and apparently will be filmed for a Disney+ programme with the working title Castle Man.

The house, six miles north of Berwick, was designed by James Gillespie Graham in 1845, and represents what can happen when a great architect, an ideal location and a patron with — to be blunt — deep pockets come together. It was the dream of a man named William Mitchell-Innes, who served as the First Cashier of the Royal Bank of Scotland, and later as a director.

The death of a cousin saw him inherit land to go with his wealth, and he wasn't shy about spending it: 'His means were ample, and his liberality in distributing them commensurature therewith,' ran his obituary in the Berwickshire Journal on his death in 1860. 'He maintained a princely establishment, and his generous hospitality was his most striking characteristic.'

Everyone needs a friend like that. And every architect needs a client like that, giving Gillespie Graham 'the advantage of an empty site' and 'an enthusiastic patron', as Hall put it.

The castle that was created is a symphony in sandstone, with turrets, parapets, gables and a grand hall, the very picture of the baronial revival of the 19th century, and its visual impact today is essentially the same as it was when first complete, as noted in its Category A listing with Historic Scotland.

That's not to say it hasn't been improved and updated over the years: it was enlarged in the 1860s by David Bryce and James Maitland Wardrop, and in 1873 the main corridor and hall were decorated by Scotland's leading interior designers of the day, Bonnar and Carfrae, who were so pleased with their work that they proudly signed it.

The house has not been changed since then but it has been preserved, not least over the past decade by the outgoing owners. They upgraded the house, undertaking some building work, carried out significant re-plumbing and re-wiring, created a new formal garden, and installed a miniature railway.

That's right: a miniature railway — complete with platforms, sheds and ticket office — that runs on a 10 1/4-inch gauge, snaking a 600m-long path through the grounds.

It's a shame that the railway doesn't also run through the house, because the place is so enormous it might be good to have some help getting around: there are 17 bedrooms and over 33,000 sq ft are on offer in the main house alone, with a dizzying array of spaces.

From chapels to offices, billiard rooms to ball rooms, libraries to laundries, the floorplan feels almost endless, with every room beautifully finished and full of original character features that have clearly been cherished and restored for many generations.

There is one original feature which is long-gone, however: the original mantelpiece in the dining room, which is now in a museum in Connecticut. The reason? 150 years ago Mark Twain came to visit Ayton Castle, and loved the mantel so much that he apparently 'insisted' on buying it and shipping it back home to the USA. It's there to this day in pride of place in the Mark Twain House & Museum in the city of Hartford.

The sale might not have included that mantel, but it did include 160 acres, plus a series of cottages, lodges, stables and more, some of which are let out and produce an income for the estate — as does the livery business run from the stables.

Like the main house, some of this is listed: the garden and parklands have a Category B designation, while the Dovecot — which was also thought to be designed by Gillespie Graham — is Category A listed. Alan Carr will walk in to a place that has been handsomely looked after, and deserves to be treated just as well in the future. After all, as the official listing says, it is 'not only is this the most significant building in the parish, but also, one of the most significant within the country as a whole.'

Ayton Castle was on for sale at £3.25 million in 2025.

Britain is full of fabulous castles, and we at Country Life love them — particularly our Architectural Editor John Goodall, the man who literally wrote the book on castles (he even called it 'Castles').

Some are grand and impressive; some are crumbling ruins; and some look just like the sort of fantasy creations you saw in picture books about the Knights of the Round Table. Augill Castle is one of latter — and the good news is that it's looking for a new owner, with an asking price of a reasonable-sounding £2 million.

It's particularly reasonable-sounding because — as Cosmo Linzee Gordon explained a while ago — many castles have winds howling through the corridors and water pouring through the roof. Sometimes even when it's not raining.

Augill is different; it's a place that's in good nick. Very good nick indeed; in fact, it's currently an award-winning boutique hotel near Kirkby Stephen that can be hired out for weddings and other events. As you might have guessed, this isn't a medieval castle that was built for warfare or conquest, but rather a Victorian Gothic folly. The only boiling oil you'll find in this castle is carefully managed by the catering team in the well-equipped kitchens.

While it's currently a business, Augill Castle would absolutely make a dream country house, subject to the necessary permissions, as it's large, but not so big that you and your family would feel ridiculous kicking around in a 400-room palace.

There are seven en-suite bedrooms in the main house and a range of formal and informal reception rooms, including a Music Room — a space which, in its hospitality guise, is used as a 46-cover restaurant) with an Arts-and-Crafts fireplace.

The library leads out onto a terrace and the hotel’s bar is located in the conservatory. Five separate garden suites and estate houses provide a further six bedrooms. Grounds, including a tennis court, parking for 30 cars and a playground, extend to 10 acres.

Augill Castle is for sale via Knight Frank at £2 million — see more details and pictures.

Regular Country Life readers will no doubt be accustomed to seeing some pretty magnificent properties splashed across the magazine’s glossy pages and website. Vast estates, historic homes, and architectural gems, that sort of thing.

But even by those standards the £21 million Ripley Castle Estate — its with links to the Wars of the Roses, the coronation of James I of England, the Gunpowder Plot, and Oliver Cromwell — takes some beating.

Ripley Castle has been a landmark on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park since the early 1300s, and has been home to the Ingilby family ever since its creation.

Now, though, the historic country estate has been put up for sale for the very first time in its history, with a £21m price tag.

The ancient castle is the jewel in the 445-acre estate, which encompasses parkland, ornamental gardens, and agricultural land.

Mark Granger, of Carter Jonas, which is marketing the estate, says: ‘The Ripley Castle Estate presents prospective buyers with an exceptional opportunity.

‘Not just a once-in-lifetime chance, but truly a once-in-a-700-year opportunity to purchase an estate that encompasses historical significance, architectural splendour and beauty.’

The Grade I-listed castle has played a role in some gripping historical occasions. James VI stayed at the castle en route to his coronation as James I of England.

And Oliver Cromwell apparently demanded a bed there after the Battle of Maston Moor.

Sir Thomas Ingilby, the owner, explains: ‘During this time, 'Trooper Jane' Ingilby, who fought in the battle, allowed him to stay but guarded him in the library throughout the night with two pistols, protecting both her virtue and her brother, who was hidden in the Knight’s Chamber.

‘These significant moments leap off the pages of history and are reflected in various elements throughout the castle.’

It’ll come as no surprise that the castle is dripping in historical features. The three-storey Old Tower features oak flooring originally sourced from The HMS Rose, an 18th century frigate, and a priest hole that was only discovered in 1963. And the Knight’s Chamber’s ‘Wagon Roof’ design is understood to be one of just three surviving examples.

Ripley Castle's reception hall, inner hall, oval drawing room, and second, larger drawing room with sweeping views of the lakes and the deer park are sure to catch your eye too. Look out for the grand cantilever staircase beneath a stunning armorial stained-glass window.

But let’s not forget this is also a family home — albeit a highly unusual one. What is described as the Castle Apartment includes three reception rooms, 11 bedrooms, and six bathrooms. And the medieval arched Gatehouse, completed in 1450, is a one-bedroom apartment.

The four acres of gardens and grounds are home to several listed pavilions, including The Garden Room and The Orangery, listed walled gardens and a kitchen garden.

There’s also the estate offices and east wing, which have been operated as a wedding and events venue. Plus, a gift shop, coffee shop, tea room, and a barn occupied by studios.

Other features of the estate include a hotel, village store and adjoining residential property, sporting rights, woodland, pasture and game cover, and a village cricket ground. Phew.

Sir Thomas says: ‘Ripley Castle is not only an iconic estate, but it has also been a wonderful family home. It is a welcoming and magical place. Castles and living in one often belong to fairy tales, and Ripley Castle exemplifies the essence of such stories. However, without relying on make-believe, it stands on its own.’

One last note: if you fancy the castle but not all the land, Ripley Castle Estate is available as a whole or in separate lots.

Ripley Castle Estate is for sale at £21 million — see more details and pictures.

Scottish Borders — £15 million

The Portmore Estate — all 3,459 acres of it — is on the market, and it's quite an amazing opportunity to buy a huge chunk of Scotland. There's farmland, hill grazing, stalking, forestry, a reservoir with fishing chalet and seven estate houses — plus, of course, the magnificent A-listed castle at the heart of it all.

All this plus a location in a charming village (with a decent pub) close to the lovely Borders town of Peebles.

For sale via Galbraith — see more details and pictures.

East Lothian — £4.2 million

Ormiston Castle is a classic Scots Baronial property dating to 1851 — with all the romatic and whimsical architecture you'd expect of the era, combined with the solidity of the Victorian builders. High ceilings, huge windows and a flowing floorplan, a recent refurbishment, 15 acres of grounds and an easy trip to either Edinburgh or Glasgow.

For sale via Alexander Millett International — see more details and pictures.

Stirlingshire — £1.95 million

A whopping 17,000sq ft of property within 11 acres of the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park; it's been for sale with a different agent, but has now been relaunched with a lower price.

Invertrossachs Country House has been run as a holiday let, but could be turned to almost any purpose, subject to the relevant permissions.

On top of all that it's under 40 miles from Glasgow, and just over 50 miles from Edinburgh, making it wonderfully easily accessible.

For sale via Savills — see more details and pictures.

Edinburgh — £1.8 million

Does this count as a castle? We think so, even though it's 'only' the tower for sale at the rather majestic New Craig, within the Craighouse Estate in Edinburgh.

There's epic grandeur in the architecture, huge rooms, expansive views and a roof terrace with battlements. What a place.

For sale via Knight Frank — see more details and pictures.

Angus – £1.7 million

A gorgeously pretty country house in a big-but-not-too-big estate of just under 70 acres, There's a trio of cottages as well as Keithock House, the mansion at the heart of it all, which has utterly charming architecture inside and out.

For sale via Savills — see more details and pictures.

Berwickshire — £3.25 million

The finest Scots baronial castle in Scotland? That's the reputation held by Ayton Castle, and it's not hard to agree. James Gillespie Graham's magnificent red sandstone monolith absolutely has to be seen — as do its Mediterranean-inspired gardens.

For sale via Knight Frank — see more details and pictures.

Dumfries & Galloway — £4.5 million

With almost 800 acres of land, a six-figure timber income, hydro-electric scheme, grazing for Highland cows and sporting opportunities, the Glenquicken Estate is a classic Scottish property.

The bad news? There's no castle. The good news is that there is a 19th-century Swedish-style timber farmhouse included, and it's absolutely beautiful.

The even better news — for those keen on the farmhouse but not quite so up for managing a large, busy estate — is that the house is available as a separate lot for £850,000, which includes 176 acres and three lochs.

For sale with Galbraith. See more pictures and details for this property.

Edinburgh — £15 million

13 bedrooms, stable block with nine stalls and a bell tower in this Georgian fantasy house just outside Scotland's beautiful capital city.

There is a remarkable Robert Adam mansion at the heart of the property, but with 764 acres and far too much to list here, the house is only the start. Incredible.

For sale with Savills. See more pictures and details for this property.

Clackmannanshire — £2.25 million

Technically a coachman's house rather than a castle (if this is his house, we'd love to see the coach he drove), this enormously spacious home of nearly 7,000sq ft is near Dollar, making it a fairly easy drive to Stirling, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews.

Dating to the 1880s, it's been completely refitted in quite some style — think home gym, tennis court and Sonos sound system throughout. It's like Footballer's Wives with added turrets.

For sale with Savills. See more pictures and details for this property.

Fife — £1.9 million

The cutest and the most prettily-named castle on this list by quite some way, Pirwindy Keep is in the Fife countryside between Upper Largo and St Andrews.

It's a real mix of styles: a stone-heavy country kitchen with giant Aga sits alongside Japanese-style bedroom and a bathroom which would shame most five-star hotels.

For sale with Rettie. See more pictures and details for this property.

Kingussie, Highlands — £12,000,000

The Balavil Estate is almost 7,000 acres of the Highlands, centred on this classic country seat within the Cairngorms National Park.

While its wild and remote enough to fulfil anybody's fantasies, it's also surprisingly accessible: the main A9 is close by, giving excellent links to Inverness with its rail service and airport.

For sale with Landfor. See more pictures and details for this property.

Tranent, East Lothian — Offers over £1,300,000

Battlements, spiral staircases, stags' heads on the walls and a barrel-vaulted kitchen in the basement: while some castles are disguised stately homes, Fa’side Castle is the real deal.

Built in the 14th century, it offers fantastic views across East Lothian up to nearby Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth.

There are six bedrooms, a couple of acres of grounds and a 300-year-old barn that's been converted in to a pair of cottages.

For sale with Savills. See more pictures of this property.

Creetown, Dumfries & Galloway — £9,500,000

Far from your usual castle-buying opportunity, Castle Cary isn't just a ruined castle by the sea — although it is also that — since it comes with an entire holiday park as part of the deal.

The place has been in the same family for 166 years but now the whole thing is ip for sale, including the holiday park (opened in 1976) complete with its swimming pool, pub, nine-hole golf course and over 100 tent/caravan pitches, all set in 220 acres.

There is a fine six-bedroom main house, while the castle itself is a romantic ruin, dating back to the 15th century.

For sale with Galbraith. See more pictures of this property.

Crispin Holborow of Savills quotes a guide price of £16m for the immaculate, 554-acre, Southend sporting and agricultural estate, which sits in rolling Chilterns countryside overlooking the glorious Hambleden Valley, six miles from the pretty market town of Henley-on-Thames. The land was originally part of the Turville Court estate, which was acquired in 1996 by the current owner, who demolished the existing house and replaced it with a new country mansion that was sold away with 54 acres in 2008.

At the heart of the Southend estate are six let residential properties and equestrian facilities, which provide a useful rental income in addition to the in-hand farming operation. These include the pretty main farmhouse, with its sheltered gardens and fine views.

There also also three detached cottages within a gated courtyard to the north-west of the farm buildings and stables, plus a pair of semi-detached cottages within the hamlet of Southend, each let on an assured shorthold tenancy, except for the American Barn, a detached barn conversion that is currently used for short-term holiday lets.

For the prospective buyer looking for a fittingly grand house to live in on their new estate, things become slightly more complicated — though the potential upside is wonderful. The present owner has recently commissioned a planning appraisal from Oxford-based John Phillips Planning Consultancy for the erection of a new principal dwelling and two ancillary outbuildings, based on the premise that many of the farm buildings in the existing farmyard would be removed, together with the surrounding concrete hardstanding and the American Barn dwelling.

The new buildings, comprising a 12,700sq ft main house, a 2,152sq ft recreation building and a 1,829sq ft garage/store, would be built — subject to planning — in traditional style, on the sloping ground at the southern end of the existing farmyard.

The design of the farmhouse allows for four floors with an indoor pool, gym and sauna on the lower-ground floor and four large reception rooms, a study, cloakroom and boot room on the ground floor. The master suite with two dressing rooms and bathrooms, and three guest bedrooms are planned for the first floor, with three further guest suites on the second floor.

The proposal includes a garage and party barn linked to the principal house, with a kitchen, barn and open-plan recreational space. It also includes a new dedicated access through surrounding land that would be carefully landscaped with the emphasis on achieving Biodiversity Net Gain; further information is available from the selling agents.

As things stand today, situated between the farm buildings and the Southend residential courtyard are 10 stables and a feed room. The equestrian facilities include an outdoor school, post-and-railed paddocks and water-troughs and direct access to an outstanding network of local bridleways.

Although the shoot, previously run in association with the adjoining farm, didn’t run last season, the topography of the land — a mix of 106 acres of arable, 237 acres of permanent pasture and 190 acres of woodland — allows for a first-class pheasant and partridge shoot to be re-established, should a new owner wish to do so.

Following its acquisition in 1996, the site of the main farm buildings was completely redeveloped with the creation of a state-of-the-art organic dairy unit, completed in 1999. Dairying has now ceased and the buildings are currently used as part of a beef and sheep livestock operation.

The Southend Estate is for sale at £16 million — see more details and pictures.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

Sutherland is one of Scotland’s most remote and sparsely populated areas. It’s a place of dramatic mountains, silver sand beaches, soaring cliffs, deep caves and rich flora and fauna, which make it one of the last truly natural and unspoilt places in Britain.

It is, in short, the Scotland of your dreams — and a suitably fantastical house and estate has come up for sale in one of it's prettiest spots: Lairg, on the southern tip of Loch Shin.

Savills’s Edinburgh office seeks ‘offers over £2.4m’ for Lairg Lodge and its River Shin Fishings, a compact and highly manageable estate on the shores of Loch Shin, which, for many years has been the treasured Highland retreat of a family from the south of England.

At its heart stands Lairg Lodge, a comfortable, 10-bedroom Victorian lodge built for the Duke of Sutherland in 1879 and set in 184 acres of private grounds.

This is not the home that will attract jet-setters seeking the marble-floored bathrooms and surround sound systems you'll see in commuter belt mansions. It's a home that's full of history and love, quirks and charm.

While the lodge's appearance is breezily, almost exotically antiquated, the place has been very well kept, updated and improved — there are no maintenance headaches, from what we can see, leaving you free and easy to soak in the views from the huge picture windows.

And at the end of each day, after dinner at the dining room table and perhaps a game of snooker, the bedrooms above are big enough to (and currently house) four-poster beds.

If fishing is your sport of choice, you should absolutely cast your line in this direction. The estate operates a successful holiday enterprise based around 3½ miles of double-bank salmon and sea-trout fishing and four additional properties overlooking the loch.

Short-term lets include Phil’s House and Reid’s Cottage, rated four star by the Scottish Tourist Board, which attract repeat visitors year after year.

For sale via Savills — see more details and pictures.

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Credit: Galbraith

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A look at the finest castles, country houses and estates for sale in Scotland today.

It’s extremely rare for an entire Dorset landed estate to find its way onto the open market, so it’s good to see the Bridehead Estate come up for sale. What’s even better is that this is a property with simply immense charm, with thousands of acres of land, dozens of properties, a nature reserve, and a Grade II*-listed mansion at its heart. The house — simply known as Bridehead — is a joyous home, full of surprises.

As well as the nine individually-named bedrooms and the usual country house staples (drawing room, library and so on) it comes with a prayer room, a flower room and even an ironing room. The wider estate, meanwhile, includes an entire village, and a cricket ground. In short, even the most hard-nosed of prospective purchasers will find much at Bridehead that appeals; David Hebditch of Carter Jonas in Taunton quotes a guide price of £30 million for the estate as a whole.

The present custodian of Bridehead, Sir Philip Williams, who took over the running of the estate in 1985, is the seventh generation of his family to live there and the latest to uphold the family’s long tradition of public service, both as a magistrate and as High Sheriff of the county in 2016.

Now, after almost 40 years at the helm, Sir Philip has decided to sell the spectacular 2,047-acre property with its imposing, Grade II*-listed manor house, now in need of modernisation, which stands at the heart of a diverse residential, farming, sporting and conservation estate.

So what of those things which make this such an opportunity? Firstly, there is the estate’s enviable location within the lush west Dorset countryside, two miles from the small rural village of Winterbourne Abbas and seven miles north of Dorset’s famous Jurassic coastline.

Secondly, the substantial property portfolio that includes not only the aforementioned 18,683sq ft Regency main house — currently set up with six reception rooms, a prayer room, office, nine principal bedrooms, four bathrooms, servants rooms and attics — but also the village of Littlebredy and various estate cottages, some 32 houses in all, most let on assured shorthold tenancies.

Thirdly, there is a portfolio of six farms and woodlands let on short-term farm business tenancies.

And fourthly, the sale includes a substantial area of mostly ancient woodland that has been managed by a professional forester for the past 12 years, with a view to establishing a sustainable yield of timber within a robust habitat with sporting potential.

Even the history of the place is enticing. Bridehead’s story begins in the late 1700s, Robert Williams, described in his History of Parliament entry as ‘a self-made man [who] became a leading London banker and a director of the East India Company’, purchased estates at Littlebredy, Dorset, and Moor Park, Hertfordshire, and, in 1807, secured himself a seat in Parliament as MP for Dorchester.

The Littlebredy lands, listed as ‘Brydian’ in the Domesday survey, were owned by Cerne Abbey until the Dissolution and by the Mellor family in the 18th century. They were absentee landlords and neglected the estate, especially the manor house, which was in a state of disrepair when Williams acquired it in 1797.

At this time, his main estate was Moor Park and building activities at Littlebredy were limited at first, although he visited frequently and, having selected a site around the source of the River Bride as the location for his new manor house, which he named Bridehead, he began to plan, plant, landscape and build.

When Williams died in 1814, his estates and much of his personal fortune were inherited by his elder son, another Robert, who also became senior partner in the family bank, Williams, Son, Moffat and Burgess, later Williams Deacon & Co, which was hit by a financial crisis in late 1825.

Having decided to sell Moor Park, he wrote from Bridehead to the then home secretary Sir Robert Peel: ‘I find a great inconvenience in having two large places in the country, without time to be as much at either as I should so wish, and have therefore thought of parting with one. This is my native county, and a favourite residence to myself and family, and having lately added much to its extent by a large purchase and opportunity occurring of more, I have made up my mind to sell Moor Park and its appendages…’ In the event, Peel declined the purchase and Moor Park was sold a short time later to Lord Grosvenor.

With Bridehead confirmed as the family seat, Williams Jnr commissioned the eminent architect Peter Frederick Robinson to work on the estate between 1830 and 1833, during which time he rebuilt the manor house and designed both the entrance lodge to the park and several cottages in the model village of Littlebredy.

In 1838, a new stable block in the Gothic style was built to designs by architect Benjamin Ferrey, who later extended the house and rebuilt the village church and various cottages.

According to its Historic England listing, the landscape of Bridehead and Littlebredy, including the early-18th-century park and garden incorporating the ornamental estate village created by Robinson and extended by Ferrey, was completed by 1842.

The picturesque cricket ground was created in the park in 1900. In about 1850, the house was extended westwards, with the addition of the south-facing library, billiards room and conservatory (now a swimming pool), but has since remained largely unchanged.

The Bridehead Estate is for sale at £30 million via Carter Jonas — see more pictures and details.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

Towering mountains, breathtaking views, wild hillsides and epic swathes of peat moorland, where deer, pine martens, otters, eagles and red squirrels share the land with the walkers and ramblers who come to enjoy the landscape. The Cashel Estate, it's fair to say, isn't your usual property.

This 3,068 acre (1,241 hectare) estate is a totally unspoilt stretch of Scotland, at the heart of the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park. After three decades of care in the hands of the Cashel Forest Trust, it's now seeking new ownership to help take it on. And that means there's an opportunity for someone to come in and cherish a glorious and beautiful place just a short drive from Glasgow. Offers over £4,085,000 are asked for the whole, but the sellers are happy to split the property into five different lots, ranging in price from £60,000 to £2.25 million.

At the heart of those lots is Cashel Farm, the £725k Lot 1, a relatively small parcel of land on which stands the four-bedroom farmhouse and visitor centre, a popular spot with day trippers, and a modest source of income for the owners (the car park alone apparently brings in around £8,000 a year).

There is grassland, picnic areas, footpaths, bridges and woodland within the 105 acres, and while the property doesn't stretch as far as the shore of Loch Lomond itself, it does include the right to launch a single boat onto the water, along with riparian fishing rights. (A nearby hydro electric station isn't part of the property, but an interest in its revenue is for sale as Lot 5.)

The farmhouse needs a bit of modernising, but for those with more of an appetite for work and risk, Lot 2 offers a fascinating opportunity at £750k. It comprises almost 350 acres of mixed native woodland, with stunning views, huge diversity of nature and a series of streams and footpaths. There are also, and this is our favourite part of the listing, 'at least two' unlisted, ruined farm steading houses on the land.

The idea that there may be others which have simply been reclaimed by Nature is almost too romantic to bear; the more hard-headed business types, of course, will probably jump on to the possibility that where a house stands, no matter its condition, there's a reasonable chance of repair, renovation and even replacement being an option. Immediately adjacent, Lot 3 offers another potential income source: priced at offers over £60,000, this 16-acre pasture, surrounded by woods, is noted by the agents to have 'potential for change of use' subject to the relevant permissions, and given its proximity to the waterfront 'there is scope for a range of leisure uses'.

The true romantics will be captivated by Lot 4, Beinn Bhreac Hill, which makes up the lion's share of the land (nearly 2,600 acres), the wildest and hilliest part of the estate, offering the best of the views. It's more than just a grand slice of Scotland to call your own, though: there is some montane planting and peatland restoration which should, in time, lead to signification potential for carbon credits.

Beyond the peat restoration, conservation is a strong pull for anyone interested in the Cashel Estate, especially for those who love the idea of woodland generation. Large scale planting of native woodland is well established these days, but 30 years ago, it was a concept that had barely taken root; the Cashel Estate was one of the pioneers in the late 1990s. An extensive planting and restoration programme — including oak, birch, ash, aspen, alder, gean, hazel, holly, juniper, willow and Scots pine — has left it with around 750 acres of native woodland, which stand alongside significant areas of ancient oak.

Taking these conservation efforts even further is part of the reason for the sale, explains Nander Robertson, operations director of Cashel Forest Trust. 'We are immensely proud of the woodland we have created at Cashel, transforming it over 25 years from a bracken covered farm into the stunning amenity it is today. This has only been made possible with the unstinting support of volunteers, funders and trustees.

'However, we feel we have taken it as far as we can. We hope stewardship will pass to a buyer who will be equally passionate about this land and build on the conservation work carried out to date. We are looking for a custodian who will further enhance this legacy and protect it for the future.'

See more about the Cashel Estate sale at the Goldcrest website, or find out more about the estate itself at www.cashel.org.uk.

Historic, Grade I-listed Corby Castle stands at the heart of an immaculate, 711-acre estate bounded by the picturesque villages of Great Corby and Wetheral in Cumbria’s north-east corner.

The majestic River Eden forms the western and southern boundary, with woodland to the north and east, while the border city of Carlisle is six miles away to the west. This extraordinary property, one of Britain's greatest private residential and sporting estates, is for sale at £15 million through Savills.

According to its Historic England listing, the Manor of Corby was granted to Hubert de Vallibus by Henry II and passed to Andrew de Harcia, Earl of Carlisle, before being given to Sir Richard Salkeld by Edward III in 1336.

In 1605, Lord William Howard, third son of the 4th Duke of Norfolk, bought part of the Corby estate, followed by the remainder in 1624 for his second son, Francis. The estate remained in the Howard family until 1994, when it was acquired by the Ballyedmond family of Northern Ireland.

Built around the core of a medieval tower house, Corby Castle was remodelled for Henry Howard between 1812 and 1814 by the Scottish architect Peter Nicholson, who gave the building its present rectangular plan and neo-Classical façades.

The imposing, 30,364sq ft house stands on high ground to the north of the estate, overlooking the banks and cliffs of the River Eden and surrounded by magnificent gardens and pleasure grounds, including a wildly romantic riverside Green Walk developed by Thomas Howard between 1709 and 1739.

The castle grounds, highlights of which include a spectacular cascade, a charming tempietto, grottos and sculptures, were much admired by Thomas’s fellow lovers of romantic landscapes, among them the watercolourist William Gilpin, writer Sir Walter Scott and the renowned Scottish garden designer John Claudius Loudon, who described them as ‘singularly grand and picturesque’.

Impeccably renovated and modernised during the tenure of the current owners, Corby Castle is entered through imposing, Grade I-listed gates flanked by red-sandstone walls.

A Greek Doric porch, surmounted by the Howard family’s signature Corby lion, leads through panelled wooden doors to the dramatic Grecian East Hall and the principal reception rooms, each of which has its own unique cornicing and is in immaculate condition — something that is rarely found in a Grade I-listed mansion of this age and provenance, selling agent Alex Lawson observes.

The elegant drawing room leads through arched glass doors into the dual-aspect Summer Room and adjoins the Library, a glorious room with beautifully fitted ornate bookshelves, silk wallpaper and three south-facing, full-length windows that flood the room with natural light; they also provide access to the southern terrace overlooking the Eden.

The marble-floored West Hall, reached via steps from the west terrace, leads into the impressive Great Hall, currently used as a formal dining room. To the north of the castle, a modern family kitchen leads through to the Morning Room, the Shoot Room and a small family room.

Beyond the handsome main staircase is the first floor and the colourful Picture Gallery, another versatile entertaining space, off which are located two sumptuous principal bedroom suites and three other suites.

The second floor, a mirror-image of the first, houses the Games Room, three further suites and a study, with additional bedroom suites on each half-landing. As one might expect, Corby boasts myriad staff and service rooms, including a staff wing with a commercial kitchen designed to cope well with large house parties.

The main focus of sport at Corby Castle is its world-class pheasant shooting, thanks to an ongoing programme of woodland management, strategically placed game covers and efficient vermin control by its team of gamekeepers. The topography of the ground, with its warm, south-facing slopes, extensive woodland cover and steep cliff faces, has created 17 challenging drives that test the finest shots. A number of ponds to the east of the estate attract good numbers of duck, with salmon and trout fishing on the River Eden.

In addition to its traditional parkland, the Corby Castle estate comprises 387 acres of ring-fenced arable farmland, which surrounds the house and pleasure grounds to the south.

The estate also offers an extensive, well-managed property portfolio, including not only a traditional estate courtyard and two farmsteads, but also a substantial collection of 17 high-quality secondary houses and cottages capable of providing extra guest or staff accommodation or diversified revenue streams.

Corby Castle is for sale at £15 million via Savills — see more details and pictures.

The endlessly idyllic Woodford Valley has long been a favoured spot for those looking for a beautiful country home in Wiltshire. So it’s exciting for find a house that sits amid this rolling landscape, with the benefits of the lovely city of Salisbury close by. That house is Wilsford Manor, a fine, Grade II*-listed manor house set in some 54 acres.

On the market with James McKillop of Savills, Wilsford Manor has a guide price of £13m, which buys you the house and the wooded grounds overlooking a lake on the banks of the River Avon, six miles north of Salisbury.

Built between 1904 and 1906 on the site of an older house for Edward Tennant, 1st Lord Glenconner, and his wife, Pamela, the house was the work of the Arts-and-Crafts architect Detmar Blow, who impressed the couple with his reconstruction, following a fire, of another Glenconner manor, nearby Lake House, in 1899.

The striking, 15,800sq ft manor house is built of stone and flint with distinctive chequerboard façades, stone-mullioned windows and a thatched wing. Supporting the main house is a complex of six secondary dwellings and various outbuildings including an enchanting children’s roundhouse, which form a private ‘village’ to the side of the manor and ensure total privacy.

Lord Glenconner died in 1920, and Wilsford Manor later passed to his fourth son, Stephen Tennant, who would become well-known for his flamboyant and decadent lifestyle. Lampooned in the tabloid press of the 1920s and 1930s as ‘the brightest’ of the Bright Young Things, Tennant was regularly visited at Wilsford by his many Society friends, among them Rex Whistler, Cecil Beaton, Edith Sitwell, Nancy Mitford and Siegfried Sassoon, with whom he conducted a long affair.

The gaiety ended with the outbreak of the Second World War, when Wilsford was taken over by the Red Cross and Tennant decamped to the thatched annexe next door.

After the war, Tennant returned to the main house, which, in the face of soaring costs, gradually fell into disrepair and was only saved from complete dereliction by the efforts of devoted house staff. Tennant spent the last years of his life there as a near recluse and died, aged 80, in 1987.

Wilsford Manor was in a parlous state when, in the early 1990s, it was acquired by the present vendor, who, according to Mr McKillop, ‘found a tree growing out of the main bedroom’ — one of many obstacles he encountered as he embarked on a massive renovation that eventually saw the entire estate restored to its Edwardian splendour.

Original features, such as ornate plasterwork ceilings, oak panelling, beams, staircases and fireplaces, were repaired and reinstated. Discreet modernisation took place with the installation of new security and audio systems. Plumbing, central heating and wiring were all completely renewed.

The house now offers stylish accommodation on three floors, including six principal reception rooms, seven bedrooms and six bathrooms, plus an extensive wine cellar and a leisure complex with an indoor pool, a Turkish hammam, gym and studio.

The best trout fishing on the Avon is to be found upstream of Salisbury, where Wilsford Manor boasts an extensive and exceptionally well-managed upper stretch, of which 908 yards are double bank and 270 yards are single bank.

Those who share the owner’s passion for fly-fishing are said to cherish the timeless beauty of the Wilsford fishery, which, compared with other major English rivers, is generally less manicured, with a wonderfully diverse population, from small, wild species to monsters in double figures.

Among its devotees, in fact, is Country Life’s Editor Mark Hedges: ‘The fishing at Wilsford is indeed very special,’ he says. ‘Among the best trout fishing I’ve ever enjoyed’.

Wilsford Manor is for sale at £13 million — see more details and images.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

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As Strutt & Parker’s head of farms and estates for Scotland, Robert McCulloch is accustomed to keeping his ear to the ground. His latest analysis of the arcane workings of the Scottish estates scene identifies some significant recent trends in the market north of the Border.

A stellar year in 2022 saw 23 estates, with an average size of 5,133 acres, either sold or going under offer at an average guide price of £8.2 million. In 2023, the number of estates sold fell slightly to 22, despite a 33% increase in the number of estates for sale. The average acreage of estates sold in 2023 was 3,904, whereas the average sale price slipped to £7.2m, a 12% decline year on year.

Overall, the conversion rate of estates sold fell from 77% in 2022 (23 estates out of 30 for sale) to 55% in 2023 (22 estates out of 40 for sale), with Strutt & Parker claiming market leadership with seven out of 22 sales. At the same time, an increasingly jittery market saw the number of off-market transactions jump from 39% in 2022 to 55% in 2023.

It all made for a tough year for selling agents, a view confirmed by Evelyn Channing of Savills, who reveals that ‘demand for land suitable for commercial tree planting was re-calibrated, leading to a drop in upland farmland values by up to 25% from their peak in mid 2022’.

Of six major estate sales achieved by Savills in 2023, five were to private UK-based buyers, four of whom were buying for natural capital. Meanwhile, arable land and lowland pasture sales remained strong, as agricultural buyers sought to acquire additional acreage, especially in strong farming areas such as the Scottish Borders, Dumfries and Galloway, and Aberdeenshire.

For Strutt & Parker, 2023 kicked off in style with the sale of the remote, 3,380-acre Tayvallich estate near Lochgilphead in Argyll, which came to the market in September 2022 with a guide price of £10.465m for the whole. Another prime target for natural-capital buyers, the spectacular mixed-use coastal estate occupies a little-known, but picturesque and ecologically important peninsula between the Sound of Jura and Knapdale peninsula on Scotland’s west coast.

Tayvallich’s assets range from the 1,686-acre Drimnagall farming estate, several native woodland sites and various houses and buildings, to the scenic, 880-acre Danna Island, which comprises a boathouse, jetties, houses, small islands and more than five miles of coastline. It went under offer in November 2022 to Highlands Rewilding, one of a series of environmental enterprises founded by climate campaigner Jeremy Leggett; the sale was completed in spring 2023.

A further two remote and scenic coastal estates found buyers through Strutt & Parker in 2023. The first of these was the 2,396-acre Husabost estate near Dunvegan, on the north-west coast of the Isle of Skye, which came to the market in May with a guide price of ‘offers over £1.25m’ and sold in the autumn to ‘a British buyer with local roots’, Mr McCulloch reveals.

Once part of the land holdings of the MacLeod family, whose seat is the nearby Dunvegan Castle, Husabost comprises a main house in need of complete refurbishment, a home farm, tenanted crofts and some five miles of sea frontage, with magnificent views to the Cuillin Mountains and the Outer Hebrides.

The other was the 1,863-acre Grigadale estate on Argyll’s Ardnamurchan Peninsula, the most westerly point of the British mainland, known as ‘the headland of the great seas’. Launched in May with a guide price of ‘offers over £1.2m’, it was sold by the autumn, again to a British buyer.

Described by the agents as ‘a magnificent amenity estate in one of the most peaceful and unexplored parts of Scotland’, Grigadale comprises a three-bedroom farmhouse and farm buildings surrounded by pasture, rough grazings and open hill; sport includes deer stalking, rough shooting and trout fishing on three lochs.

With the Cheviot Hills to the south and the more open farmland of Berwickshire to the north, the central Scottish Borders not only offers some of the most beautiful countryside in the south of Scotland, but is a region renowned for its productive farmland, forestry and exciting country sports. Here, Savills handled the sale of Linton Burnfoot Farm, a ring-fenced 540-acre farm in an unspoilt and tranquil valley spanning Kale Water, seven miles from Kelso and 12 miles from Jedburgh.

Run in recent years as a stock farm producing fat lambs, it was also the setting for an excellent driven-pheasant and duck-flighting shoot. Launched onto the market in July 2022, as a whole for ‘offers over £3.1m’ or in three lots, the majority of the land was acquired in 2023 by the Foresight Sustainable Forestry Company, which plans to repurpose the hill ground for forestry. The handsome Georgian main house was sold separately with about 50 acres to a lifestyle buyer for ‘offers over £800,000’. Some 40 acres of arable land was bought by a neighbouring farmer.

There was strong interest from southern buyers in two well-run traditional farms in prime Border locations, which sold for 20% more than the asking price in the latter half of 2023, Mrs Channing reveals. The first of these was the 303-acre Old Graden Farm, which sits in a private and picturesque setting to the south-east of Kelso, overlooking rolling farmland with views towards the Cheviot Hills. Strategically planted woodlands and the varied topography produce challenging driven pheasants, with ponds providing excellent duck-flighting and walked-up snipe shooting also available. Launched in July for ‘offers over £2.1m’, Old Graden was sold by September. 

Howden Farm near Selkirk was a late entrant to the market in mid September at a guide price of ‘offers over £2.3m’. Following 29 viewings and five offers, an early November closing date resulted in a December sale, with entry in January 2024.

The immaculate, all-grass livestock farm comprises a late-Georgian farmhouse, two semi-detached cottages, traditional and modern farm buildings, 323 acres of grassland and 67 acres of amenity woodland and shelter belts. It sits amid peaceful rolling countryside on the southern lower banks of Ettrick Water, a tributary of the Tweed, two miles south-west of Selkirk in the heart of the Scottish Borders.

Owned by the same family for 300 years, the 1,962-acre Finegand estate at Glenshee in the Cairngorms National Park, 20 miles from Blairgowrie and 32 miles from Perth, was the pride of Galbraith’s farms and estates portfolio when it came to the market in September 2022 with an asking price of £5m. ‘The vendors were delighted when a UK buyer with traditional farming and sporting interests bought the estate in February 2023,’ says selling agent Emma Chalmers.

The impressively diverse Highland estate boasts farming, forestry, sporting and conservation interests, centred on the original Finegand Farmhouse, with a range of farm buildings, six cottages and a former steading at the north offering a potential development opportunity. The lands at Finegand comprise permanent pasture, rough grazings, heather hill and woodland, rising from about 310 metres (1,017ft) above sea level to some 794 metres (2,605ft) at its highest point.

The farming enterprise is currently run in conjunction with a shepherding contract for some 500 ewes. The estate offers a range of traditional sports that include red, roe and fallow deer stalking and walked-up grouse shooting.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

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The greatest estates sold around Britain in the last 12 months

Farms and estates did not lose their appeal in 2023, with some local buyers and even a happy ending to

Direct support for English farmers may be on the way out, but there’s still a huge appetite for land and estates among investors, lifestyle buyers, farmers and conservationists, as sales achieved in 2023 clearly indicate.

For Alex Lawson, head of rural agency at Savills, the standout estate sale of the year was that of the illustrious Adlington Hall, which lies within Cheshire’s golden triangle, five miles east of Wilmslow and seven miles north of Macclesfield. Family seat of the Legh family since 1315, the 1,921-acre estate came to the market in September 2022 for the first time in more than 700 years, at a guide price of £30m through Savills and Mark Wiggin Estate Agency, and was sold as a whole to a long-term investor in autumn 2023.

At its heart stands Grade I-listed Adlington Hall, a handsome, 20,000sq ft quadrangular building, which stands on the site of a Saxon hunting lodge and was rebuilt in two phases in the Tudor and Stuart period, restored after the Civil War and extended in the mid 18th century by Charles Legh, who also built the matching Grade II*-listed stable courtyard and extensively remodelled the park and gardens.

The north section of the historic mansion houses the magnificent Tudor Great Hall and its famous organ, forever associated with Legh’s friend, composer Frideric Handel. The surrounding estate comprises six let farms and 22 houses and cottages, plus various ancillary buildings and parcels of land.

Will Matthews, head of farms and estates at Knight Frank, oversaw the successful sale of two contrasting Oxfordshire estates — Golder Manor Farm at Pyrton near Watlington, and Woodleys near Woodstock — both launched in the latter half of 2022 at guide prices of £25m and £16m respectively.

Once part of the Earl of Macclesfield’s Shirburn Castle estate, the Golder Manor Farm sale was essentially a farmland and property deal involving 613-acre Golder Manor Farm, with its Grade II-listed farmhouse, traditional farm buildings and six semi-detached cottages on high ground in the heart of south Oxfordshire, on the western edge of the Chilterns and within easy reach of Oxford and London. Included in the sale was a pretty Grade II-listed former vicarage set in almost six acres of gardens and grounds with views over wildflower meadows and parkland towards Shirburn Castle, and a portfolio of income-producing properties that included nine cottages and the Spire & Spoke pub. The estate was eventually acquired as an investment by a local family, who will continue to farm the land.

One of Oxfordshire’s least well known, but most impeccably situated country houses, timeless Grade II-listed Woodleys at Wootton, three miles from Woodstock and 10 miles from Chipping Norton, sits in wooded gardens, grounds and parkland at the centre of its 230-acre residential and farming estate, with spectacular southerly views over the Duke of Marlborough’s estate to Blenheim Palace gleaming in the distance.

Historically, the parish of Wootton was part of a royal hunting forest that was cleared and cultivated in medieval times. Following the enclosure of Wootton in 1770, Thomas Southam, who already owned land at Woodleys inherited from his grandfather, was awarded an estate there of 86 acres. According to the Victoria County History: Oxford (1983), it was presumably he who built the house that was bought in 1818 by Thomas Thornhill.

His son sold it in 1881 to Edwin Ponsonby, whose descendants owned it thereafter and were the recent vendors. Woodleys’s ‘extraordinary location’ attracted interest from around the world and the estate was sold as a whole to an international buyer with completion in January 2023, Mr Matthews reveals.

Wiltshire’s prosperous Chalke Valley, voted ‘The Best Place to Live in the South-West’ in a 2022 Times survey, was described as ‘picturesque countryside at its spring-scented best, with Saxon churches, thatched cottages, rolling downs and a series of villages strung out along the 13-mile chalk escarpment between Salisbury and Shaftesbury’. This is the backdrop to the idyllic 600-acre West Chase residential and sporting estate, which came to the market through Savills in June 2022 with a guide price of ‘excess £18m’ and sold as a whole in 2023.

West Chase was acquired by the vendors in the early 1990s and transformed from a traditional working farm into a wonderfully private, ring-fenced country estate with 387 acres of arable farmland, 142 acres of pasture, 48 acres of woodland and views ‘to die for’ over neighbouring Dorset to the Purbecks and the Isle of Wight. It also boasts a handsome, five-bedroom main house remodelled by William Bertram, a walled garden and tennis court, courtyard of converted farm buildings, secondary farmhouse, estate cottages and extensive equestrian facilities, with direct access to the bridleways of Cranborne Chase.

Farming and sport have existed in perfect harmony at The Mill House and its 227-acre farm at Bulkington, five miles from Devizes, Wiltshire, which came to the market in autumn 2022 with a guide price of £5.75m through Savills in Salisbury. Hunting, shooting and fishing had been a way of life for the farm’s then owner, who loved to catch trout in the mill stream, and, in 1998, converted the charming mill house at the heart of the farm from a red-brick farmhouse into the elegant five-bedroom country house it is today.

Although originally offered for sale as a whole, the best outcome was achieved when, contrary to expectations, the land was bought separately from the house by farming buyers, with The Mill House and its gardens and grounds going to a non-farming purchaser.

According to a report in Farmers Weekly, farmer interest in trading natural capital is in the ascendancy. With substantial grants available from Defra to help farmers prepare Nature projects that will attract private-sector investment, the Environmental Farmers Group (EFG), founded in May 2022, has seen its membership grow swiftly to 268 farmers covering 146,800 hectares (362,000 acres) in Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset, Northamptonshire and north Lincolnshire, with sister cooperatives being formed in Yorkshire and elsewhere. Together, they represent 469 landowners and tenants, all of whom have an interest in delivering for the environment and potentially trading natural capital.

Tom Goodley of Strutt & Parker’s Norwich office reports the sale of the 671-acre Manor Farm at Shropham, near Attleborough, in the Breckland district of south Norfolk, which came to the market in March 2023 with a guide price of £9.5m and was sold as a whole in November to an environmental fund that will continue to farm it with the environment and sustainability in mind. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the novelist Mary Mann, dubbed ‘Norfolk’s Thomas Hardy’, lived at Manor Farm and Shropham was the setting for a collection of short stories known as Tales of Dulditch, in which she describes the harsh reality of farm life during the agricultural depression of the late 19th century.

According to Mr Goodley, Manor Farm was already run on environmentally friendly lines and was entered into a five-year Countryside Stewardship Scheme, which commenced in January 2019, generating more than £90,000 a year and covering capital improvement costs of £88,000. A strong property portfolio includes the Grade II-listed manor house and five other houses, with planning consent for the conversion of redundant barns to residential use.

According to Matt Sudlow, head of farms and estates at Strutt & Parker, the severe lack of farmland for sale in recent years shows signs of abating; he expects to see an increase in supply in 2024. He handled the sale of 327-acre Deanery Farm at Bampton, five miles south-west of Witney, Oxfordshire, which was launched on the market in July 2023 and quickly found a lifestyle buyer who reputedly paid ‘well in excess’ of the £5.15m asking price. For sale due to the retirement of its long-term tenant, Deanery Farm offered a traditional four-bedroom farmhouse with gardens and adjoining land; a pair of semi-detached cottages; a substantial range of traditional and modern farm buildings with scope for alternative uses; and gently undulating farmland with good roadside access.

Country estates for sale in Derbyshire are as rare as hen’s teeth and there was considerable interest when, in December 2020, Barton Hall and its surrounding 168-acre estate at Church Broughton, 11 miles from Ashbourne, was launched onto the market at a guide price of £5.5m through Knight Frank. However, as often happens with historic houses and estates that have been altered over time, there was much legal wrangling over perceived, but generally unquantified ‘risks’, which led some potential purchasers to withdraw from the fray; nevertheless, a deal was successfully completed in February 2023, selling agent Peter Edwards reveals.

The estate centres on Grade II*-listed Barton Hall, which was originally built in the 15th century as a moated, semi-fortified manor house, although significant alterations carried out in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries mean that it now appears as a largely Classical, grand Georgian country house. In 1925, the hall was sold to Basil Mallender, who laid out the Grade II-listed gardens, which he adorned with ironwork sourced from elsewhere in Derbyshire. Ancillary buildings include a courtyard of four cottages, a three-bedroom bungalow with equestrian facilities, a private chapel, outbuildings and garaging.

Down in the South-West, Widworthy Barton House, near Honiton, Devon — a restored Elizabethan country house, the oldest parts of which date from the 13th century — was offered for sale by Strutt & Parker in April 2021 with some 43 acres of gardens and parkland and views over the east Devon countryside, but failed to find a purchaser.

However, following the owner’s inspired decision to include the surrounding 400-odd acres of good arable farmland and pasture, the estate was relaunched on the market in September 2022 and found a buyer with Devon roots who had sold his business and was looking to return to his native county, selling agent Will Whittaker reveals.

Across the county border in north Cornwall, a bitter dispute — dubbed the ‘Battle of Trevalga’ — involving the vendors of the picturesque coastal estate of Trevalga, between Tintagel and Boscastle, and its longstanding tenants, who feared they would be evicted from their homes when it came to the market with a guide price of £16m through Savills in autumn 2022, has ended peacefully with the sale of the estate in October 2023 to Castle Lane Securities, part of the financing and real estate William Pears Group.

Residents of the estate, which comprises six let farms and a further 17 houses and cottages — all now in need of repair — have been reassured by the new owners that everyone involved will be able to remain in their homes.

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Britain's landscape is dotted with quite incredible castles, from towering and imposing masterpieces to crumbling, romantic ruins. In this week's podcast, we speak to Country Life magazine's Architectural Editor, John Goodall — the man who literally wrote the book on castles — to find out which five are his very favourites.

John picks out five wonderful castles which show the full range of Britain's architectural legacy: Headingham, Knaresborough, Lancaster, Belvoir (pronounced 'Beaver') and Castle Drogo. And then he throws in a very special extra bonus castle at the end — arguably the greatest castle on the face of the planet, whose fate has been intertwined with that of the Royal Family for 1,000 years.

You can listen to it at all the most popular places to get your podcasts, including:

• Country Life podcast on Apple Podcasts
• Country Life podcast on Spotify
• Country Life podcast on Google Podcasts
• Country Life podcast on Audible

The Country Life podcast is hosted by James Fisher; it's produced and edited by Toby Keel; the music is by JuliusH; and special thanks to Future's Head of Podcasts, Adam Wilbourn.

If you’re an ambitious sort looking for a new project to sink your teeth into, then Baston Hall might be right up your street.

This Grade II-listed hall, dating to around 1620, is situated in 138 acres of Worcestershire countryside. Besides the main hall there are all sorts of converted buildings and accommodation, and the present owners are willing to split the sale in to lots. Opt for the whole thing, however, and the guide price is £4,250,000 via Knight Frank.

And while that's a lot of money, there is scope for this place to earn its keep: it has, in recent years, been one of England's most extravagant holiday lets, with guests paying upwards of £2,000 a night for an estate to call their own.

You can see why it's been popular. Baston Hall’s charming original features have been kept intact, with exposed bricks and beams throughout the house.

Set around a central courtyard, the property offers up to 12 bedrooms and north of 8,000 sq ft of living space that can be arranged in a variety of ways, depending on how you want to use it. 

A new estate office and what the selling agent describes as the ‘Cloud room’ (think flexible space for an office, yoga studio, gym or function room) were recently created next to the garage in the adjoining building.

Meanwhile, the Old Stables, in a separate building, have been given a new lease of life as a three-bedroom guest suite.

Baston Hall is surrounded by a mature garden which includes ancient cherry trees, lawn, flower beds, and a lake with connecting cascading ponds. There’s also a tennis court tucked discreetly to one side.

But it’s not just Baston Hall and the Old Stables that have been updated. So too has the wider estate, which is farmed regeneratively, according to Knight Frank.

There’s two large agricultural buildings at the far end of the estate, including an open-fronted modern cattle shed that links directly to a brand new cattle handling system. They have their own access to the public highway so you don't need to worry about large farm vehicles rolling past Baston Hall.

There’s also a one-bedroom cottage, known as Keepers Cottage, at the southern entrance of the estate. It’s currently used as a holiday let. 

There's also potential to build more and potentially add value: planning permission is already in place for a new three-bedroom, 1,800 sq ft house.

The estate could provide a variety of sporting endeavours. It's already got a racing pedigree: the barns were previously used as racing stables and there’s also an old gallop on the site.

The estate is at the top of the Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The village of Alfrick is a mile away and Great Malvern is seven miles to the south. 

Baston Hall is currently on the market via Knight Frank for £4,250,000 — see more pictures or enquire with the agent for further details. 

Credit: Strutt and Parker

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Fight your way through woods and undergrowth on the right remote, rural hill in Herefordshire, and you'll eventually find yourself at a ruined castle that's feels as if it's been standing here for centuries, waiting to be discovered. The light pours in and around ruined walls that have stood for almost a millennium, on a site that stands above the local area. This is Wigmore Castle, a ruined motte and bailey castle that dates back to 1067, and it's currently for sale at £500,000.

Wigmore Castle in Leominster is listed with Sunderlands, and there are more than just the ruins on the table: the property extends to 29 acres, and comes with planning permission to build a two-bedroom home in a secluded and private spot within those grounds. It was up for sale via formal tender earlier this year — a method which means any offer is legally binding, equivalent to exchanging contracts — but is now offered via private treaty, which will make things more flexible for any prospective buyer.

The down-side? This will be no private castle. Wigmore is a true piece of history, Grade I-listed and under the guardianship of the Secretary of State. As such, the new owner will have to keep the ruins themselves open to the public; on the plus side, the cost of maintaining the ruins is also born by the state.

All that makes perfect sense when you read the history of the place. Wigmore was built by William Fitz Osbern, Earl of Hereford, a friend and confidant of William the Conqueror. This castle was a major centre of power and hosted kings and queens for more than 500 years.

After Fitz Osbern’s death in 1071, the property was held by the Mortimer family from around 1075 to 1425. The inner part of the gatehouse and the D-shaped east tower are the main survivals from this period.

The castle was then passed to the Crown and later fell into ruin after the Civil War, and remained untouched until the 1990s, when English Heritage conserved it. The charity intentionally left the overgrown appearance — for the sake of the wildlife as well as its beauty — and describes the remains as 'among the most remarkable ruins in England'.

As the pictures show, this is a wonderful and romantic spot, both around the ruins themselves and in the surrounding land, which features a moat, woodland and even a former jousting field.

The elevated ruins enjoy splendid views across the countryside, Wigmore Moor and the Roman Watling Street that crosses it. The site is also home to rare species of wildlife and plants, including lesser horseshoe bats and ploughman’s spikenard wildflowers.

Planning permission has been granted to convert a workshop within the grounds into a detached two storey two-bedroom home. The building is adjacent to the ruins but not visible from them, and is sheltered by well-established trees in its vicinity.

Wigmore Castle, while remote, is also perfectly liveable: it's situated on the edge of Wigmore, a picturesque village with two pubs, a mobile post office, village hall, primary and secondary school.

Wigmore Castle in Herefordshire is listed with Sunderlands for £500,000.

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Credit: Strutt & Parker

A magnificent castle dating back to William the Conqueror comes to the market

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Credit: Galbraith

An elegant Highland castle and estate on the market for the first time in eight centuries

The 560-year-old Kilravock Castle and its estate have come to the market, a fabulous opportunity — but one which will require

Named after the Old Norse word floi meaning ‘wet or marshy land’, the Flow Country is a vast rolling expanse of peatland and wetland covering some 1,500 square miles of Caithness and Sutherland, Scotland’s most northerly counties. The largest stretch of blanket bog in Europe, the Flow Country is an area of deep peat, a type of peatland formed over thousands of years as mosses grow, die and accumulate in layers, eventually forming peat.

When peatlands are damaged or degraded due to drainage or peat extraction, stored carbon is released back into the atmosphere, thereby contributing to greenhouse-gas emissions. Peatlands such as the Flow Country act as a carbon sink, trapping carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Now, thanks to a series of dedicated peatland-restoration projects, the Flow Country has embarked on a transformative journey that will see precious peatland restored, the region’s delicate ecosystem rejuvenated and carbon loss halted, thereby mitigating the effects of climate change.

As part of the UK Peatland Programme, which aims to restore two million hectares (almost five million acres) of deteriorated peatland by 2040, the Scottish government is supporting landowners’ restoration efforts with £250 million of funding via the Peatland Action Scheme. Landowners can also sign up to the Peatland Code, which allows them to create carbon units that can potentially be sold for carbon offsetting. It’s small wonder, then, that the value of Scottish land and estates endowed with substantial ‘natural capital’ assets has sky-rocketed in recent years.

Evelyn Channing of Savills in Edinburgh is overseeing the launch onto the market of one of the Flow Country’s most significant estates, the spectacular 7,324-acre Glutt estate in Caithness, which spreads across miles of unspoilt beauty and wilderness, 11 miles inland from the coast and 40 miles south-west of Thurso.

Mrs Channing quotes a guide price of £7m for the estate, which is currently under the same family ownership, and is, to some extent, managed as part of the neighbouring 27,500-acre Dunbeath estate, now also for sale with Savills, at a guide price of £25m.

The vast majority of the land at Glutt is blanket bog, made up of nationally important carbon-rich soils, ultra-deep peat and priority peatland habitat of high, or potentially high, conservation value.

Acquired by the late Stuart Murray Threipland in 2015, the estate has been the subject of a major peatland-restoration project, split into three distinct phases and largely funded by the Peatland Action Scheme. Phase 1 of the project was completed in January 2022, Phase 2 is ongoing and Phase 3 is still to be done. For those familiar with such matters, the project aims to deliver ‘a potential cumulative claimable emissions reduction of over 189,000 tonnes of CO² over a 100-year period’.

However, as Mrs Channing points out, Glutt’s vast and distinctive landscape not only provides significant opportunities to undertake large-scale environmental projects, including peatland restoration and biodiversity enhancement, it also offers many of the attributes traditionally sought by buyers of Scottish estates — namely, privacy and seclusion, with a comfortable and manageable lodge set within magnificent scenery, and an exciting combination of walked-up grouse shooting and red-deer stalking. Furthermore, the absence of trees combined with the gently undulating terrain represent ideal conditions for the ancient art of falconry.

Simplicity is the key to life at Glutt, where the gamekeeper is the sole employee. The estate’s three dwellings are practical and well proportioned. They include the solid, four-bedroom Glutt Lodge, built of rendered and painted stone under a pitched slate roof, which sits above the banks of the Glutt Water, a tributary of the River Thurso.

The main rooms have been designed to take advantage of the open views over the mesmerising landscape. There is also the four-bedroom Keeper’s Cottage and the modest, but charming, one-bedroom Bothy, both of which are located a short distance from the lodge.

The Glutt Estate is for sale at £7m — see more details and pictures.

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Up in the Highlands, Rod Christie of Galbraith in Inverness is handling the sale of the storied Kilravock Castle estate in the scenic Nairn Valley, one mile from the village of Croy and six miles from Inverness airport. He seeks ‘offers over £4m’ for the enchanting, 481-acre Highland estate, which has been run by the current vendors — the Kilravock Christian Trust — as a retreat centre. As the pictures show, it's now in deed of renovation: this is not one for somebody who just expects a perfect place to move straight in.

The estate centres on the Category A-listed Kilravock Castle, the original seat of the Clan Rose, which dates from about 1460, when the 7th Baron built the original keep under licence from John, Lord of the Isles and Earl of Ross. The lands had been acquired in the 13th century by Hugh Rose of Geddes, and were held by the family for the best part of 800 years before being bequeathed in 1984 by Elizabeth Rose, 25th Baroness of Kilravock (pronounced ‘Kilrorke’) to the aforementioned Kilravock Christian Trust. As such, this is the first time that the castle and estate have been available on the market in eight centuries.

Various additions were built on over the years, including the main house in 1553. The main staircase, corridors and west wing were added in the 18th century. The last major alteration, the construction of an additional tower, took place in 1926.

The present castle comprises 13 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, a banqueting hall, library, family museum and oubliette, or secret dungeon, plus two adjoining self-contained wings.

It comes with nine cottages and extensive gardens and grounds, including an arboretum, commercial and amenity woodland, farmland, and trout-fishing rights on the River Nairn.

Established in 2003, the Cairngorms National Park in north-east Scotland is the UK’s largest, covering an area of 1,748 square miles in Aberdeenshire, Moray, the Highlands, Angus and Perth and Kinross.

The source of three major rivers — the Spey, the Dee and the Don — the park provides a unique semi-tundra moorland habitat and is home to many rare plants, birds and animals. They include Britain’s only herd of semi-domesticated reindeer, introduced from Sweden in 1952, which roams the high Cairngorms.

Kilravock Castle estate is for sale via Galbraith at £4m — see more details and pictures.

Spectacular Scottish castles and estates for sale

A look at the finest castles, country houses and estates for sale in Scotland today.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

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An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

The launch of Otterburn Castle — a splendid, Grade II-listed historic landmark sitting in 32 acres within the Northumberland National Park at the heart of the Redesdale Valley — will send a little shiver of excitement through the property market. This beautiful place — for sale at £3m — is no mere castellated country house: Otterburn has been a castle since the days of William the Conqueror, and though it’s seen many changes since then, it retains all sorts of original character.

The days of arrows shot from battlements and boiling oil poured over the walls are long gone, however — at least we hope they are, since Otterburn is presently run as a country house hotel and that would be no way to greet your guests.

Last used as a home before the Second World War, Otterburn Castle was converted into a hotel in the 1940s, yet retains many of its historic features. There is oak wall panelling, intricate plasterwork and stone-mullioned windows, the property has 18 bedrooms (all en suite), together with several large reception rooms and a catering-standard kitchen. Otterburn would suit someone with a taste for entertaining: the garden room can accommodate 120 guests comfortably.

The castle was actually put on the market back in 2017 at £1.4m, but no sale went through that time. Today, with the property market having risen substantially, its reappearance is at more than double that price point, yet as Oliver Custance Baker, head of Strutt & Parker’s country department, points out, this is a unique opportunity.

‘Homes with rich histories like Otterburn open up the market to international interest, and castles even more so,’ says Oliver.

‘The stories that are part of these houses are an integral part of what makes them so special, together with their location and architecture. Here, it’s a piece of Northumberland — and British — history for sale.’

The first record of Otterburn was in 1076 when Robert D’Umphraville – William's cousin – was given the land in appreciation of his services. What exactly was built on the land and when is more of a mystery, but a 1308 survey confirms the existence of a pele tower which was thought to be around 60 years old at the time.

That structure is even mentioned in the chronicles: Froissart refers to it in his account of the battle of Otterburn in 1388, when the English army suffered a bloody defeat at the hands of the Scottish, led by the Earl of Douglas who tried to take the tower.

Life at Otterburn continued. Used as a hunting lodge during the 15th century, it passed to the Hall family in the reign of Henry VIII — for reasons that remain unclear. John Hall is noted as a Sequester under Cromwell (meaning he confiscated enemy property) and became Commissioner for Enclosure in 1552. His most infamous successor was ‘Mad Jack Ha’, who features in William Harrison Ainsworth’s novel Preston Fight for his part in the 1715 Jacobite rising. A cat with not quite nine lives, ‘Mad Jack’ was finally convicted for his ‘crimes’ after five reprieves and hanged at Tyburn in July 1716.

The present building was built on the foundations of the original pele tower, and using some of the original stones, in 1830, and extended in 1904 by F.W. Rich. During both those periods of work, the historic fittings and other details were retained where possible, and in many cases remain in fantastic condition. These include stone-mullioned windows, dramatic carved staircase and intricate plasterwork.

Today’s Grade II-listed castellated tower, incorporating a Tudor-arched entry, was built in the 1830s by Thomas James on the foundations of the original structure, using some of the original stones. It was then extended in 1904 by F. W. Rich for the owner, one Howard Pease, a wealthy businessman from the Middlesbrough area; his widow sold the property in 1931, and it was converted into a hotel relatively soon after.

Today, the castle-turned country hotel has a bridal suite which boasts and inglenook fireplace with five painted panels depicting scenes from the Battle of Otterburn – and it could either continue as a business, or else be returned to use as a home... one with endless bedrooms, a bar, ballroom and a grand entrance hall with a sweeping staircase and panelled walls.

The castle is just as grand outside as it is in: set in 32 acres of land that include formal gardens, woodland and a river with a water wheel which was once used to pump water to the castle. There are even fishing rights included, with trout and salmon swimming in these waters.

Otterburn Castle is on the market via Strutt & Parker at offers over £3m – see more details and pictures.

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A heart-stoppingly romantic cottage in the Cotswolds has come to the market at a price which will make city dwellers

Loch Ness — £1,450,000

There's more than 1,100 acres of land on offer at this Invernessshire property located just above Loch Ness, not far from the fabulously-named Drumnadrochit, the town that's the location of the Loch Ness Centre.

This is land that's barren and spectacular, but there is potential here for pinewood planting — and one of the three parcels into which the property is split has a well-established planting scheme in place. Or you could just roam your own personal stretch of the Highlands and enjoy the spectacular views across the mountains and the waters of Loch Glanaidh.

For sale with Galbraith. See more pictures of this property.

Argyll — £2,450,000

Just 75 miles north of Glasgow (and 25 from Oban) you'll find this gorgeous slice of the West Highlands, sitting above the River Orchy.

There is 1,971 acres of space here at Craig Hill, once managed as an upland sheep and cattle farm along with deer stalking on the hills. That has changed more recently, with 160 or so acres established as native woodland in 2013, and approval from Scottish Forestry to create over 500 acres more — something which opens up the possibility, according to the agents, of allowing a purchaser to proceed with a Forestry Grant Scheme application to seek approval for grant funding.

For sale with Landfor. See more pictures of this property.

Fife — £3,000,000

Will it be peatland restoration? Woodland? Or how about a solar farm? All are among the options suggested by the agents at the 1,001-acre Outh Farm, which sits more or less half-way between Edinburgh and Gleneagles.

Part of Black Loch, located on the northern boundary, is included in the sale, while Nettly Burn also adds an attractive watery element to this stretch of Scotland.

For sale with Goldcrest. See more pictures of this property.

Argyll — £3,300,000

Some 1,759 acres on the northern side of Loch Fyne make up the land for sale at Goatfield Hill, in Cumlodden.

Most of the land is open hillside that is currently grazed, though there are many opportunities for a new buyer, from forestry conservation to sporting pursuits.

For sale with Goldcrest. See more pictures of this property.

Caithness — £3,500,000

If you're looking for land which comes with a place to lay your head, this glorious coastal estate on the far north coast of Scotland, near Thurso, will fit the bill.

A historic harbour, net store and bothy flat (all category A-listed) and over two miles of coastline are part of the 8,137 acres for sale, while a three-bed cottage is also available by separate negotiation. There are also peat and woodland restoration projects already in place on the property.

For sale with Savills. See more pictures of this property.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

Coming hard on the heels of a hectic trading year in 2020, the market for traditional Scottish castles and estates was ‘fast and furious’ in 2021 — notably in the Highlands, where land values increased significantly year-on-year, says Tom Stewart-Moore of Knight Frank in Edinburgh. With more buyers than sellers, he expects the market for Scottish estates to remain equally buoyant in 2022.

Highlights of Knight Frank’s year include the sale of the picturesque Castleton estate overlooking Loch Fyne, Argyll, on Scotland’s wild west coast, for which ‘offers over £1.95 million’ were sought at its launch onto the market in August 2021. Currently under offer, completion takes place on January 24.

At the heart of the 68-acre estate, once part of Shirvan lands owned by the Graham-Campbell family, stands Category C-listed Castleton House, an imposing nine-bedroom country house built in about 1830, with a two- storey wing of 1875 and a Scots-Baronial wing added in 2000.

The idyll that is Castleton is completed by its own 23-acre island, Eilean Mor — accessible on foot at low tide or via a short boat ride from the slipway — which comes with rare planning consent for a one-bedroom stone and slate house, the foundations for which were laid in 2015.

Another private residential estate with loch frontage is the 66-acre Camusericht Lodge estate on Loch Rannoch, near Pitlochry, Perthshire, which came to the market in March 2021 for ‘offers over £1.5m’ through Knight Frank and saw a sale completed in November. Historically part of the Clan Menzies estate in Rannoch until 1911, it comprises a well-modernised Victorian lodge, coach house, cottage, range of excellent outbuildings and a helipad, the whole set in formal gardens and surrounded by pasture and woodland, with nearly 5,000ft of foreshore to Loch Rannoch.

Reflecting the recent surge in demand from well-funded institutions for large tracts of land with potential for woodland development and carbon capture is the 8,710-acre Pennyghael estate on the Isle of Mull, which came to the market in March with ‘offers over £5m’ sought by Knight Frank and the Estates Office Argyll. A quick closing date was set for July 21 last year; completion is scheduled for March this year.

Described by the agents as ‘an outstanding coastal, residential, sporting and amenity estate’, historic Pennyghael is located in the south-west of Mull, with frontage to Loch Scridain in the north and the Firth of Lorne to the south.

At its core stands the Grade C-listed former principal lodge, originally built in 1819 and extended in 1920; although now derelict, it could be sympathetically restored or replaced by a new estate house, subject to planning. Pennyghael offered a multitude of opportunities to buyers, from sporting, farming and eco-tourism to woodland creation, rewilding and the development of natural capital.

According to Evelyn Channing, who heads up Savills’s farming and estates operation in Scotland, ‘what we are now seeing is a small, active and growing pool of very well-financed investment funds, institutions and individuals in the market for large land holdings on which to carry out their own woodland creation and peatland restoration projects — in recognition of the role that land is going to play in combatting climate change’.

She continues: ‘Following on from the private sale in 2020 of the 7,400-acre Urlar estate, comprising two grouse moors at Aberfeldy, Perthshire, to an institution — not for its grouse shooting, but for its natural- capital potential — we have seen some extraordinarily high prices paid for Highland estates in the past six months.

The rate of change in values as a result of unprecedented demand — partly driven by the scarcity of opportunities available — has caught us all by surprise, and although the prices paid for many of these estates are not yet in the public domain, once they are known, we would expect more estate owners to come to the market.’

Among the notable sales of estates concluded in 2021 (estimated at 22 in all, compared with 21 in 2020), Mrs Channing cites the purchase of the 3,500-acre Ralia estate, near Kingussie, Strathspey, which was bought by Standard Life for woodland-creation and carbon-offsetting purposes, and the recent acquisition by Aviva Investors and Par Equity, the Scotland-based forestry investment fund manager, of 6,300 hectares (15,568 acres) of moorland in the Glen Dye area of West Aberdeenshire, with the aim of delivering a significant woodland creation and peatland restoration scheme, designed to capture more than 1.4 million tons of carbon by 2055.

Rob McCulloch of Strutt & Parker acknowledges the importance of the international drive towards net zero and the need for business and industry to forge their own route to carbon neutrality, which resulted in Scottish estate prices reaching £20m, £30m and more in 2021. He also highlights the lifestyle changes caused by Covid, which have resulted in ‘a huge upswing in demand for property throughout the more peripheral parts of the UK — and Scotland in particular. In the Scottish-estates sector, this saw 40% of estate sales achieved in 2021 being residential estates — an increase of 10% on the previous year’.

Reflecting the broad spectrum of buyers seeking to buy north of the Border, Strutt & Parker offered the tranquil, 1,593-acre Ardhuncart residential, farming and sporting estate in the Don valley, on the Highland fringe of Aberdeen, for sale for the first time since 1952, at ‘offers over £5.645m’ with a closing date of September 7, 2021.

The estate is now under offer, with an early completion in prospect.

Patience paid off in the case of the scenic, 563-acre Cairnty estate on the banks of the River Spey at Fochabers in Morayshire, for which Strutt & Parker sought ‘offers over £2.65m’ when the estate was first launched in the autumn of 2019. Its focal point was an impressive Georgian-style house designed by the owner with family, sport and entertainment in mind.

The estate offered excellent pheasant shooting, roe-deer stalking and trout fishing, in addition to farming, forestry and residential opportunities. A buyer emerged from the mist in 2021 — a trend that shows no sign of abating in 2022, says Mr McCulloch.

Spectacular Scottish castles and estates for sale

A look at the finest castles, country houses and estates for sale in Scotland today.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

It’s the end of an era for the illustrious 1,528-acre Careston residential and farming estate, near Brechin, Angus. The estate, which has been in the Adamson family for 149 years, has come to the market via Savills at a guide price of £11.3 million, with the family also willing to split the property up into as many as eight lots.

The last time Careston graced the pages of Country Life was on March 1, 1913, when the magazine’s then Architectural Editor, Lawrence Weaver, traced the history of the estate and its magnificent Category A-listed castle, built in the late 16th century by Sir Henry Lindsay of Kinfaines, later 13th Earl of Crawford. Sir Henry’s ‘new place of Carraldstone’ was a tall, L-shaped house, probably built around the 13th-century keep of one Keraldus, a high-ranking court officer to the Earls of Angus, from whom Careston takes its name.

Sir Henry is said to have sold the estate to Adam Rae, a merchant from Edinburgh, in 1612; soon after that, it was acquired by Sir Henry’s nephew, Lord Spynie, who revamped the castle’s interior in the course of the 1620s. The next owner was Sir Alexander Carnegie, who shared Lindsay’s passion for heraldic treatments, which may account for the elaborately carved pink-sandstone chimneypieces in the drawing room, dining room and principal bedroom.

In 1682, John Ochterlony, described Careston as a ‘great and most delicate house, well built, brave lights, and of a most excellent contrivance, without debait the best gentleman’s house in the shyre; extraordinaire much planting, delicate yards and gardens with stone walls, and excellent avenue with ane range of ash trees on every syde, ane excellent arbour, - for length and breadth, none in the countrey lyke it’ [sic].

In 1701, the castle was acquired by Sir John Stewart of Grandtully & Murthly, who added a wing to create a symmetrical, U-shaped, four-storey house of five bays with short projecting gables at each end; his coat-of-arms holds pride of place above the front door. By 1721, the castle was owned by Maj George Skene and passed down through his family to his great-granddaughter, who married Alexander, 3rd Earl of Fife.

In about 1790, a grandiose staircase hall was added at the rear and the 16th-century corner turrets were embellished with crenellations in the Gothic style. Further additions at the back and a loggia across the front were made for John Adamson, the son of a Dundee whaling captain and owner of the Erichtside linen works at Blairgowrie, who purchased Careston from the 5th Earl of Fife in 1872.

Set against the backdrop of the heather-clad Angus Glens to the north, Careston Castle sits in a magnificent parkland setting at the heart of the estate, surrounded by mature woodland with high-quality arable land beyond. An asking price of ‘offers over £2.9m’ is sought for Lot 1, comprising the imposing main mansion of red sandstone under a slate roof, three cottages, 143 acres of arable, 29 acres of pasture, 137 acres of woodland and a further 33 acres of amenity land — 345 acres in all.

Behind its grand exterior, the 15,700sq ft castle is a much-cherished, manageable and comfortable family home, with the principal accommodation — four fine reception rooms, a library, six main bedrooms and five bathrooms — laid out over the first and second floors.

Much of the ground floor is currently used for storage and five well-insulated rooms on the third floor could provide additional bedrooms.

The interior boasts many notable features including timber panelling in the reception rooms, stone and timber flooring and beautiful carved fireplaces, the stonework of which ranks among the finest in Scotland.

‘Offers over £850,000’ are invited for Lot 2, comprising four large arable fields and woodland adjoining the wooded south-west boundary of Lot 1 — a total of 119 acres in all, directly accessible off the main A90. A guide of ‘over £1.5m’ is quoted for Lot 3, the Mains of Careston — a farmstead with a substantial range of farm buildings and 195 acres to the east of Careston Castle, bounded on two sides by a minor public road that forms the estate’s eastern boundary.

Nether Careston, the hub of the estate’s farming operation, is Lot 4, with its 424-acre farm to the south of the A90, solid four-bedroom stone farmhouse, bungalow and a range of useful farm buildings — for ‘offers over £3.5m’. The Noran Water passes to the west of the steading and meanders through the farmland before joining the River South Esk on the eastern boundary.

The farm is bounded to the south by Lot 8, the Upper Careston Beat, comprising 1½ miles of salmon and sea-trout fishing on the South Esk, for which ‘offers over £250,000’ are invited.

To the east of Nether Careston are the adjoining lands of Balnabreich (pronounced ‘Bonnybreich’) which constitute Lot 5 — 152 acres of arable, 14 acres of pasture, two acres of woodland and 10 acres of additional land; ‘offers over £1.2m’ are sought. Lot 6 is North Wood, an outlying block of 147 acres of permanent pasture and woodland (recently felled and re-stocked with sitka spruce), which is available for ‘offers over £450,000’, whereas Lot 7, Careston North, comprises 89 acres of mainly arable, with permanent pasture and woodland — ‘offers over £650,000’.

Over the years, the estate has invested heavily in its residential housing stock, most of which is let on short or private tenancies. In addition to Careston Castle, six residential properties are included in the sale, ranging from two-bedroom cottages to the four-bedroom farmhouse at Nether Careston.

A further 13 residential properties within the boundaries of the various lots are also available for sale, advises selling agent Evelyn Channing, who is already fielding enquiries from farmers, investors and private individuals from throughout the UK and overseas.

Careston Estate is for sale at £11.3m, and can be broken down into eight lots — see more details and images.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

Spectacular Scottish castles and estates for sale

A look at the finest castles, country houses and estates for sale in Scotland today.

Things are still stirring in the New Forest market, where Savills and Strutt & Parker are joint agents in the sale of the 234-acre Wilverley Park estate near Lyndhurst — a property last seen on the open market in 1947.

The agents quote a guide price of £8.65m for the estate as a whole or £5m for the main house with 86 acres of formal gardens, parkland, pasture, lake and woodland, together with a gate lodge, a three-bedroom cottage and a range of farm buildings; £2m for Cuffnells Farmhouse with a cottage, a courtyard of Victorian farm buildings and a range of modern buildings; and £1.65m for Cuffnells Lodge with 143 acres of arable land, pasture and woodland, including a landscape and arboretum designed by Capability Brown.

Wilverley Park and Cuffnells are part of a group of small historic parks located to the south of Lyndhurst in the southern half of the National Park, between Poole and Southampton, and north of the Georgian market town and yachting port of Lymington.

The land, which is farmed in hand by the vendor, is home to a Royal Show-winning herd of 135 Holstein cows, which may be acquired, together with the rest of the farming assets, on a ‘lock, stock and barrel’ basis.

Wilverley Park was originally part of the Foxlease estate sold by Henry Buckworth Powell-Montgomery in 1865 to fund the building of a grand Victorian house with an impressive coach house.

Wilverley Park remained with the Powell family until, in 1947, it was acquired by Peter Barker-Mill, who also bought the former main house on the adjoining Cuffnells estate, which, like Wilverley House, had been requisitioned during the Second World War. Sadly, both houses were in a poor state of repair and were demolished by the new owner.

When, in 1968, Barker-Mill’s son-in-law, Lindsay Masters, chairman of Haymarket Publishing, acquired Wilverley Park, the only substantial building left standing was the unlisted coach house, which Masters converted into a stylish, 4,368sq ft country house with three fine reception rooms and six bedrooms.

He commissioned the celebrated Belgian garden designer François Goffinet to lay out the formal gardens on the east side of the house and created a kitchen garden using bricks from the old walled garden, adding a swimming pool and a hard tennis court.

Meanwhile, over at Cuffnells Farm, shades of former glory remain in the parkland, lake, kitchen garden, orangery and arboretum, which were designed by Capability Brown for Sir Thomas Tancred in the 1760s.

Wilverley Park is for sale through Strutt & Parker and Savills at £8.65 million for the whole — see more details, pictures and information on the smaller lots that it may be broken down in to.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

The concept of ‘building back better’ is nothing new; for centuries, country landowners have been remodelling their homes, estate buildings and even the landscape — as the launch onto the market of this exceptional property demonstrates.

For sale for the first time since 1993 and only the second time since 1582, the pale-grey stone buildings of historic Rossley Manor appear to grow out of the hillside of the wooded Dowdeswell Valley, four miles from Cheltenham and 14 miles from Cirencester, Gloucestershire. Clive Hopkins of Knight Frank quotes a guide price of £10 million for the picturesque Cotswold estate, comprising a Grade II-listed manor house, a cottage, garage block, stabling, outbuildings and sporting facilities set in 140 acres of pasture and woodland, with magnificent views across the valley to the dramatic Malvern Hills.

In the early 16th century, the Rossley Manor estate was owned by Winchcombe Abbey and leased to Richard Rogers and his family. After the Dissolution, Richard’s son, William, by then the lessee of neighbouring Dowdeswell Manor, acquired Rossley Manor in 1582, after which both estates passed down through various branches of the Rogers family.

In the 19th century, Rossley Manor was one of the main farms in Dowdeswell and when, in the early 20th century, Charles Coxwell-Rogers installed himself in the main farmhouse, he retained 73 acres of land before selling the rest of his estate in the late 1920s.

In about 1930, having transformed the original 16th-century farmhouse and its attached courtyard into a large, rambling country house in the Cotswold Revival style, with a swimming pool, tennis and squash courts, he opened a residential country club called Rossley Manor.

He died in 1953, leaving Rossley Manor to a kinsman, Lt-Col R. A. Coxwell-Rogers, who ran it as a country club until 1966, eventually selling the estate to its present owner in 1993.

Some 15 years ago, the entire Rossley Manor estate was upgraded in a major programme of works that included the re-roofing and renovation of the 12,192sq ft manor and courtyard and the refurbishment of the garage wing and squash court.

The house now offers seven reception rooms, nine bedrooms and five bathrooms, plus a cinema room and an indoor swimming pool, with extensive stabling in the main courtyard.

A separate courtyard houses four carports, three garages, a wine cellar and storage space with potential for conversion to a two-bedroom flat.

The Rossley Manor Estate is for sale at a guide price of £10 million — see more pictures and details.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

Where to live in the Cotswolds: A guide to choosing the perfect spot

Where in the Cotswolds should you move to? The answer will depend on what is more important to you and

The launch onto the market in today’s Country Life of the timeless Elmestree House estate at Doughton, near Tetbury, Gloucestershire, marks the end of an era for the Wilson family, who have owned and farmed it since 1949.

Matthew Sudlow, head of Estates and Farm Agency at Strutt & Parker, seeks ‘offers in excess of £7.5 million’ for the wonderfully unspoilt, Grade II-listed manor house and farmstead set in 117 acres of ancient parkland abutting Highgrove, HRH The Prince of Wales’s Cotswold home since 1980.

The Elmestree estate lies within the Cotswold AONB, two miles from the historic wool town of Tetbury, in an area of gently rolling hills and pasture ideally suited to the rearing of sheep and cattle.

The manor of Elmestree, or Elymundestre as it was then known, dates from the 12th century, when it was owned by the monks of the Benedictine Abbey of St Ebrulph, Normandy. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the Crown granted the manor to Sir Ralph Sadler, later Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

The Cotswolds wool and cloth trade was still flourishing when, in 1685, Elmestree was acquired by Thomas Deacon, a London silk merchant. His son, also Thomas, was succeeded at the manor by his sister, Mary, who left it to her cousin, Robert Jenner, who was professor of Civil Law at Oxford.

By 1803, Elmestree was owned by Thomas Brookes of Redmarley d’Abitot in the Forest of Dean, who died unmarried in 1812, leaving the estate to his brother, William.

On William’s death in 1825, the estate passed to his son, also William, who built the present Elizabethan-style manor house in 1844, to the west of which was a 17th-century farmhouse, known as Farm End.

In about 1870, the estate was acquired by Francis Henry, later Lt-Col Henry, who, in 1884, built a connecting wing between the two buildings, incorporating the original carriage drive. He made further large additions to the north-west front in 1900.

From 1947, when the Wilson family acquired the estate, until his death, aged 87, in 2013, Elmestree was farmed by the late David Wilson, who became a local farming legend in his lifetime. In an interview with the Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard, his son, Tim, recalled a happy childhood growing up at Elmestree, where his parents lived and worked for more than 50 years:

‘All his life, Dad really enjoyed the farming and dealing side of the business. He never liked using sprays or chemicals. He wasn’t one for shiny new machinery; he really focussed on his livestock, his cattle and his sheep. As well as having a soft spot for working farm horses, he was known for breaking-in and bringing on youngsters as a sideline, and particularly loved the hustle-and-bustle of Gloucester livestock market, where he sold cattle from its beginning in 1958 until the last market there in 2001.’

Approached up a long private drive through pasture and parkland studded with magnificent trees, Elmestree House is a fine, Grade II-listed country house that offers some 7,500sq ft of accommodation on three floors, including six reception rooms, six bedrooms, five attic rooms, cellars and a three-bedroom annexe — all now in need of renovation.

The house itself is merely the start, however. The adjoining Farm End is a substantial family house in its own right, with four reception rooms, four bedrooms and two attic rooms, accessed by a separate entrance.

To the north of the house is a former walled garden, with lawns, a small lake and the remains of its 19th-century pleasure gardens to the south and east.

The house is supported by more than 19,000sq ft of outbuildings with enormous scope for development. They include the stable block built by Lt-Col Henry in 1870, a coach house, a cow shed with its original stone pillars, yards, livestock buildings, and a traditional Cotswold-stone barn.

And nestled in a small copse of woodland within the park is Pond Cottage, a derelict — very derelict — waterside idyll hidden among the trees that offers a further opportunity for some inspired ‘blue-sky’ thinking.

Elmestree House Estate is currently on the market for £7.5 million via Strutt & Parker — see more pictures, or enquire with the agent for further details.

Tetbury: What you need to know

Location: In the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, approximately 12.5 miles from Cirencester, approximately 27 miles to Bristol and just over 6 miles to the Cotswold Airport.

Atmosphere: Tetbury is the second largest town in the Cotswolds known as the home of HRH Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. Along the four main streets are an array of boutique and independent shops, art galleries, interior design shops and jewellers. The town is also home to a number of pubs, bars and restaurants, and has a weekly farmers market, a butchers and bakery.

Things to do: When you're not exploring the wonderful town and all it has to offer, then head to the Royal Gardens at Highgrove or Chavenage House which offers guided tours. The Goods Shed Art Centre was converted from a Victorian railway building and is now used as a theatre, music venue and cinema.

Schools: St Mary's Church of England VA Primary School and Sir William Romney's School (secondary) both received 'good' ratings from Ofsted. Other schools in the surrounding area include Westonbrit School and Rendcomb College.

See more property for sale in the area.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

Sandbanks, Poole — £10,000,000

A 'waterside retreat' in the popular Sandbanks area of Poole, known for its big boats, and even bigger houses.

Built in 1991 by a local builder as his family home, the property has spectacular views — and access — out onto the water and harbour beyond, and benefits from its own private jetty and mooring.

A cinema room, gym, sauna and swim jet pool make up just a fraction of what this impressive property has to offer.

For sale with Fine & Country. See more pictures of this property or request further details from the agent.

Find more property near Sandbanks, Poole.

Kidlington, Oxfordshire — POA

A neo-classical, seven bed house sits at the center of this 338 acre estate in Oxfordshire, with two further separate wings also within the grounds.

The enormous equine/sporting estate — located on the outskirts of the Cotswolds — has world-class facilities, including three stud complexes.

Also within the main 8,169 sq ft house is an indoor swimming pool, wine cellar and billiard room.

For sale with Savills. See more pictures of this property or request further details from the agent.

Find more property near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

Bures, Colchester — £10,500,000

This Grade II listed moated country house may set you back over £10 million, but it also comes with a pretty big line up of additional properties...

...Including a Grade II listed granary, a Grade II listed Essex barn...

...Two traditional semi-detached cottages, and a whole host of additional outbuildings. Quite the lineup!

For sale with Bryant Land and Property. See more pictures of this property or request further details from the agent.

Find more property near Bures, Colchester.

Godalming, Surrey — £19,750,000

Buyers in search of a recording and mixing studio within their property (and with an almost £20 million budget) need look no further than Rockwood, which was built in an Arts and Crafts Style circa 1910.

Notable former owners include the husband of former Pakistani prime minister, Benazir Bhutto.

With the recent addition of a 'leisure and family wing' — which includes an indoor pool, gym and games room, the property really does have something for everyone, including one of the best wine cellars we've come across.

For sale with Savills. See more pictures of this property or request further details from the agent.

Find more property near Godalming, Surrey.

Basingstoke — £13,800,000

Over 1,000 acres make up Roundtown Estate in Hampshire.

The unique 'U' shaped estate is situated close to the sought-after village of Upton Grey, and offers excellent gaming opprtunities within the luscious and expansive countryside.

In addition to the seven bed main house is a stable block, plus planning for a 'period style cottage' that could provide further accommodation.

For sale with Knight Frank. See more pictures of this property or request further details from the agent.

Find more property near Basingstoke.

Sevenoaks, Kent — £10,000,000

Godden Green is a gorgeously-updated 140 year old house with wonderful modern touches.

The country house is set in 16¼ acres of lovely parkland grounds, with a swimming pool and pool house set within former walled kitchen gardens, close to the pretty hamlet of Godden Green.

It comes with a self-contained one-bedroom cottage, garaging, garden stores and a greenhouse, with further summerhouses and pavilions laid out around the grounds.

For sale with Savills. See more pictures of this property or request further details from the agent.

Find more property near Sevenoaks, Kent.

Virginia Water, Surrey — POA

Once the home of former US ambassador John Hay Whitney, Cherry Hill is an impressive feat of architecture.

Built in the 1930's by British architect Oliver Hill, the breathtaking property has undergone a 'sensitive and ambitious' restoration.

Today it stands as a completely unique home, with world-class finishes and plenty of style.

For sale with Knight Frank. See more pictures of this property or request further details from the agent.

Find more property near Virginia Water, Surrey.

Chiddingfold, Surrey – £30 million

Some estates in the eight-figure bracket are there because of the land they come with — that's not the case for Sydenhurst, which sits in 30 acres of countryside near this popular village between Haslemere and Godalming.

It's not hard to see where the valuation does come from with this truly staggering, newly-built country house that is 'meticulously crafted and engineered to combine the very best of British craftsmanship', according to the agents.

There are 8 to 10 bedrooms, depending on how you configure things, but it's the reception areas and leisure facilities that will most capture the imagination of a house clearly built to impress.

For sale with Knight Frank. See more pictures and details about this property.

Salisbury, Dorset — £18.5 million

West Woodyates is a simply magnificent house surrounded by wonderful gardens.

This 18th century house was built by Thomas Pitt, the shady, diamond-smuggling adventurer-turned-good who founded the Pitt political dynasty.

The house and gardens are truly exquisite and beautifully-kept, but they are just the start in a 970-acre estate within the within the historic and picturesque Cranborne Chase AONB.

For sale with Knight Frank. See more pictures and details about this property.

Sheriff Hutton, York — £10 million

A massive effort has been under way at Sheriff Hutton to save this country house — now, it's pristine and ready for someone to move in.

'The schedule of repairs that has been carried out to date is mind-boggling,' wrote Penny Churchill in Country Life last month, 'but will surely be of great comfort to any proud future owner of this historic country estate.'

And if you fancy a project? Well, while the almost-18,000sq-ft main house is all finished, some of the other properties on the 203-acre estate are still in need of refurbishment.

For sale with Savills. See more pictures and details about this property.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

Spectacular Scottish castles and estates for sale

A look at the finest castles, country houses and estates for sale in Scotland today.

Clearly, not everyone is in the market for a castle. We don't all have millions to spend up front, nor the means to staff and maintain a sprawling, historic building with grounds. And for many of us, a nice four-bed detached house in the country would do nicely, especially if it has a garden big enough for the dog and a veg patch.

For those who are looking for their own breathtaking slice of fantasy castle, however, the appearance of Lympne Castle on the market will be a cause for huge celebration.

'The opportunity to own your very own castle with views across the channel to France don't come along very often', says Will Peppet, the Savills agent handling the sale of Lympne Castle for £11 million.

Will's words are something of an understatement. In Scotland, it sometimes feels that castles pop up on every bend of Loch going, but finding a similar property within striking distance of London is incredibly unusual. So this is a vanishingly rare chance to own a genuine, Grade I-listed landmark in the Garden of England.

Lympne Castle, unsurprisingly, has rather a rich history. It's believed that a Saxon Abbey once stood on the site, and in 1089 it was transformed into a house, where it ran as the permanent residence of the Archdeacon.

Throughout the 13th century the house was visited by many noble guests, and it remained as the Archdeacon's residence until 1860.

Following this, it was used as a farmhouse before falling into a state of disrepair around the early 20th century. Restoration work was carried out, and West Wing added by Sir Robert Lorimer, a Scottish architect.

During the First World War, the castle was used to house troops who were stationed in nearby Lympne; later, it was used as a care facility for Canadian soldiers recovering from injuries.

In 1918, Henry Beecham took ownership and added the East Wing, which proved an advantageous addition during the Second World War, as — on a clear day — it was apparently possible to see the launch of V1 rockets in Calais. That allowed the coastline guns to be readied in time to give them a sporting chance of shooting the rockets down as they passed over Hythe Bay.

Since 1945, further additions have been made, and a huge amount of restoration work carried out. The ancillary accommodation within the grounds — once staff living quarters — were renovated in 2009 and turned into holiday cottages and a restaurant. Today, it's a successful lifestyle business that could help fund the purchase and running of the castle.

Beyond the self-catering accommodation and restaurant, Lympne Castle runs as a thriving wedding venue business — one which any new owner could pick up and run with, should they so wish.

The gardens and grounds amount to 130 acres of woodland, pasture, vegetable patches, plus numerous outbuildings, including greenhouses, stables, barns and stores. There are also several walled gardens and a swimming pool.

Lympne Castle is currently on the market via Savills at a guide price of £11 million — see more pictures, or enquire with the agent for further details. 

Lympne: What you need to know

Location: Lympne is a village in Kent near the coast, almost equidistance between Ashford (11 miles) and Dover (15 miles). Train stations can be found at Westenhanger and Sandling.

Atmosphere: There are local amenities within the village, including a pub, primary school and village shop. Further shopping is available in Hythe (2 miles) which has several supermarkets and a high street with independent shops.

Things to do: The east coast is home to some lovely beaches and fantastic scenic walks. Folkestone, Dover and Canterbury are well worth a visit. You could also pop across the Channel to explore France.

Schools: Lympne Church of England Primary School and Palmarsh Primary School are both local primary options. Secondary options include Brochill Park Performing Arts College with further options further afield.

See more property for sale in the area.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

Spectacular Scottish castles and estates for sale

A look at the finest castles, country houses and estates for sale in Scotland today.

'Kinloch Castle, a crumbling-but-iconic landmark on the Isle of Rum with a nominal value of £1 — but the buyer will need very deep pockets...'

So ran the headline of Country Life's article four years ago on the latest twist of fate for Kinloch Castle, on the Isle of Rum, a spectacular place which John Betjeman called ‘an undisturbed example of pre-1914 opulence’.

At the time it had been put on the market by NatureScot, seeking a benevolent buyer who'd be keen to take on this wonderfully beautiful but rather troubled pile.

As of this week it's now back on the market this more, with a new asking price of £750,000. Savills are handling the sale.

So what has changed?

Nothing in terms of Kinloch Castle itself, it must be said, which has now laid empty and decaying for years.

It was originally built by Lancastrian multimillionaire Sir George Bullough, who commissioned the turreted, red-sandstone house in 1897–1900 on the Inner Hebridean island, in order to host stalking, fishing, shooting and high-society decadence.

Rather wonderfully — and crucially for future plans — the rooms are almost entirely original, left as they were in its heyday, 'with a Steinway grand complete with scratches from dancing ladies’ heels, four-posters, a sprung-floor ballroom with gold-damask walls and even a vintage dental surgery,' as Country Life reported in 2021.

Intestine-like pipes of sophisticated Edwardian plumbing can be seen, together with decaying landscaped gardens with the remains of a palm house that was once full of hummingbirds, turtles and alligators.

One of the great curious is the world’s last functioning orchestrion, which remains in situ. It's a magnificent but complicated instrument that once belonged to Queen Victoria, and is capable of emulating a 40-piece orchestra. Yet it's in dire need of expert restoration, a job that would cost around £50,000 at the last estimate.

That's just the start. A vast amount of other work must be done, as you can see from the pictures on this page, some of which were taken for Country Life in 2009, others of which are the latest supplied by the agent. In 2021 the estimated total cost of restoration was 'at least £20 million'; given how costs have risen so steeply in recent years, that might prove to be an underestimate.

So who will take it on?

A buyer did step forward a few years ago — a city financier named Jeremy Hosking — but he pulled out of the sale, telling the BBC that his plans had been 'completely crushed'. The exact details of what happened and why are slightly hard to discern amid a string of claims and counter claims involving the politicians, local residents, NatureScot and Mr Hosking himself. So it's perhaps just as well a 'final report' was released by the Scottish government in May this year, laying out a list of conditions for the future sale and management of the castle.

Perhaps most important of all, the islanders have had their say — and this time around, most are convinced that a sale is the only true way forward. 'Many islanders feel that the sale, redevelopment and operational use of Kinloch Castle will have a positive impact on the Rum community,' the report reads.

It won't be plain sailing, however: some locals still strongly oppose sale and development: 'A small group of islanders is opposed to the sale,' the report adds. 'They would prefer to explore other options for the future of the castle, such as public ownership and use of the land and buildings or managed decline' — the latter meaning a steady decay into ruin.

Kinloch, set in seven acres, remained open as a museum until 2020 and its servants’ quarters were a hostel until 2013. Numerous fundraising efforts have hoped to tackle the leaks, dry rot and woodworm — including one by The Prince of Wales’s Regeneration Trust — but they failed to amass enough for restoration.

A previous report rejected an application from the Kinloch Castle Friends Association to take the castle, citing funding problems and and worries over the proposed business plan for turning the castle into a tourist destination. At the time that report listed the castle's value at a 'nominal figure of £1', but the new owner will have to prove that they have the resources to save this Category A landmark. The 2025 price of £750,000 is no doubt intended to make all the more certain that a buyer of suitable means is found.

What are the reservations? ‘The people of Rum don’t want it to be another millionaire’s playground, rather an asset for the community — they suggest a bistro and bar with accommodation,' explained Mary Miers, author of Highland Retreats and a former Country Life writer, back in 2021. At the same time, Prof Ewan Macdonald, chairman of the Kinloch Castle Friends Association and member of the Isle of Rum Community Trust spoke of his fear that the castle should fall into ‘inappropriate hands’, blaming ‘public-sector ineptitude. To take eight years to decide to sell it is breathtaking... The building has deteriorated’. For eight years you can now read 12.

‘The most important thing is the interior,’ added Miss Miers. ‘It’s not all necessarily in great taste, but this is an outstanding ensemble of turn-of-the-century furnishing and technology that has survived against all odds.

'It represents the golden age of that curious phenomenon, the Highland Season, when all of privileged and nouveau-riche society flocked north each summer to be entertained in luxurious palaces in the wilds. Few of these grandiose shooting lodges were more romantically situated than Kinloch, which stands at the head of Loch Scresort, backed by volcanic peaks.’

We're fascinated to see what comes next, but things look clearer and more positive than they have in years — and now, we'd suggest that any prospective buyer would be suitably forewarned about what they're getting in to. 'Through this study, islanders made it clear that the most important aspect of any sale is a long-term commitment to contribute to the community and nature on the island,' Chris Donald of NatureScot told the BBC.

'We are therefore asking prospective buyers to set out, alongside their offer, how they plan to use the castle and grounds and how they will support the nature, sustainability, culture and economy of the Isle of Rum.'

Kinloch Castle is for sale via Savills — see the listing, and read the Scottish government report on the sale.

A sign of the times is the launch onto the market of the scenic, 1,552-acre Leckie estate at Gargunnock, Stirlingshire, which is on the market for ‘offers over £5m’.

Savills sold it four years ago to the present owner, who has since improved the shoot and gained a number of planning consents, including permission for a substantial forestry-creation scheme.

Handily located in the heart of Scotland, seven miles from Stirling, 35 miles from Glasgow and 45 miles from Edinburgh, with Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park within easy reach to the west, the estate is again for sale through Savills, this time for ‘offers over £5m’ — though the vendor is willing to split it up into five lots.

An ancient and originally much larger estate owned by the Crown, Leckie was granted to Malcolm de Leky in the 1350s. The Leckies remained in possession until 1668, when the estate was sold to the Moir family of Craigarnhall, in whose hands it remained until 1906, when it was purchased by the 1st Viscount Younger, who came from a long-established Scottish brewing family.

It comprises a fine, five-bedroom country house in need of renovation, with planning consent to extend; the Knock-o-Ronald amenity farm with a farmhouse, cottages and farm buildings.

There are lochs, a grouse moor and an established pheasant and partridge shoot; four further residential properties; plus 1,418 acres on the Leckie Moor with existing forestry plantations and planning consent for a well-balanced conifer and broadleaf planting scheme.

The topography of the land and the layout of the woodlands make for an exciting and challenging pheasant shoot, currently let to a local syndicate with Leckie’s owner receiving shooting in return.

Until recently, the moor has been let to a larger estate as part of a larger grouse shoot, but is now back in hand and could provide some walked-up grouse shooting.

The Leckie Estate is for sale at offers over £5 million — see more pictures and details.

Spectacular Scottish castles and estates for sale

A look at the finest castles, country houses and estates for sale in Scotland today.

The setting alone would be enough to make Grade II*-listed Barton Hall special. Located in a spectacular natural amphitheatre, it's bounded to the north by Derbyshire’s Peak District National Park and to the west by romantic Dove Dale.

As beautiful as that landscape is, the hall itself is equally remarkable; the historic house and 168-acre estate are currently for sale through Knight Frank at a guide price of £5.5m.

The imposing, 18,925sq ft main house, built of ashlar and brick, with Georgian sash windows to the front and Tudor stone mullion and leaded light windows to the side and rear, sits in the middle of its parkland surrounded by beautifully laid out formal landscaped gardens, with its chapel and a Tudor courtyard of four converted cottages.

It offers elegant accommodation on three floors, including reception and inner halls, four fine reception rooms, an informal dining/breakfast room and a bespoke kitchen on the ground floor with cellars beneath.

There are three bedroom suites, four further bedrooms, two bathrooms, a gym and a snooker room on the first floor; and a two-bedroom apartment, plus attic rooms, on the floor above. Accessed from the main staircase is a spectacular mezzanine sitting room, ideal for family or formal gatherings.

Beyond the main house, other estate buildings include the brick-built Engine Room (still with its original generator) now used for entertaining and garaging, and a bungalow leased with gallops and paddocks as part of the Barton Stables equestrian centre.

The remaining land, a mix of pasture, grazed by cattle and sheep, and arable farmed under a farm business tenancy, includes a small local shoot that allows the estate owner to shoot twice a month from October to January. There is also double-bank fishing on the Longford Brook nearby.

The property at Church Broughton, 11 miles from Derby, was the centrepiece of ‘one of central England’s finest residential estates’ when it came to the market through Humberts in 1994. Known then as the Barton Blount estate, it comprised the 18th-century hall, its magnificent gardens and 506 acres of land, including a let farm, a stud, gallops, pasture and woodland in a landscape little changed in a thousand years. The asking price was £2.75 million.

Known in the 13th century as Barton-Bakepuiz after the Norman family who held the manor at that time, the estate was renamed Barton Blount in 1381, when it was bought by Sir Walter Blount, together with other Bakepuiz estates in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Hertfordshire.

Sometime after his death at the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403, Barton Blount passed to his great-grandson, Walter, a successful courtier, scholar and patron of learning, who died in 1474 owning a total of 42 manors across six counties of England. A century later, James, 6th Baron Mountjoy, sold Barton Blount and other estates, having spent much of his family fortune in the pursuit of alchemy.

Barton Hall was built in the 15th century as a moated, semi-fortified manor house, substantially rebuilt in about 1800 — possibly by Thomas Gardner of Uttoxeter, a local architect well known for his Georgian country houses — and has 19th- and early-20th-century alterations.

Barton Hall and St Chad’s church once marked the centre of a medieval village abandoned in the 15th century, the remains of which are a scheduled monument located 340m north of the Hall, but no longer part of the estate.

In the 19th century, Barton Hall was owned by the Bradshaw family and the parish of Barton Blount, in the heart of Meynell Hunt country, was a famed ‘resort of sportsmen’. As were many large houses in the area, the hall was often let to members of the gentry who came there to hunt and shoot.

Following the sale of Barton Blount in the 1990s, much of the land was sold off, until its present owner, a dynamic Midlands businessman, brought the hall and estate back to life. The impressive Georgian main house, its gardens, buildings and private, Grade II-listed St Chad’s chapel (rebuilt in 1845 using medieval masonry) now sit at the heart of a compact, well-organised estate.

Grade II*-listed Barton Hall is for sale through Knight Frank at a guide price of £5.5m — see more details and pictures.

Nine of the best country properties for sale in Yorkshire

Magnificent homes throughout England's largest county, from the beautiful coast of the North Yorks Moors to the rolling hills further

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

A house with five acres isn't an estate; a house with five hundred certainly is; but what about a house in 50 acres? How about 100? 200?

There has to be a line somewhere, but where? The OED is no help, merely referring to an 'extensive area of land in the country, usually with a large house, owned by one person, family, or organisation.'

Size is part of the equation, but so is location. Four acres in the Highlands would feel like a modest back garden; four acres of Mayfair — the size of the Pollen Estate, which includes Savile Row — and you're looking at a slice of property worth somewhere between £500 million and £1 billion.

On the market in Devon at the moment is an estate which seems to offer a pretty decent answer: 67 acres. That's the size of Ludbrook, a pocket estate on Dartmoor, with a £1.75 million price tag. For those looking truly to immerse themselves in the countryside and everything it has to offer, Ludbrook ticks just about every box.

With some 67 acres of paddock, garden and woodland, there’s plenty of space, and half a mile of frontage on the River Tavy comes with fishing rights as part of the package.

The main house offers a substantial 5,000sq ft of space, which includes three reception rooms, all sensitively decorated with period features, such as exposed beams, brick and fireplaces.

It's a home of nooks and crannies: a kitchen/breakfast room leads off to a walk-in cellar and separate larder, while another in the other direction goes through a utility room and into a boot room.

There are eight bedrooms, all on the first floor, with four bathrooms; and two other rooms can also be used as bedrooms, if you're having an enormous family gathering and need more space.

It's not the house which makes Ludbrook an estate, though: it's the grounds, which include a three/four bedroom cottage, a number of outbuildings, stables, woodland, pasture and that river frontage.

It's not the sort of place that you'd need to hire an estate manager, but there's enough space that you'll really feel like you have your own slice of the world — and if your plans are grander, several of the barns offer further scope for conversion.

Ludbrook is for sale via Jackson-Stops at £1.75m — see more pictures and details.

Holcombe Court, the 'finest Tudor house in Devon', and the 20-year, no-expense-spared labour of love to restore it to glory

Roger White unravels the development of Holcombe Court in Devon, while John Goodall looks at the restoration of this magnificent

Samuel Taylor Coleridge's childhood home up for sale, complete with pool, party room and library for 22,000 books

The extraordinary Chanters House in Devon should be on the watch list for anyone looking for a country house with

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

Lockdown — in all its various guises — has been a real struggle for many of us, and the absurdities surrounding the new rules don't seem to be helping much. As of this Thursday, for example, I'd be allowed to take my children to a theatre packed with hundreds of strangers, or stand queuing in a crowded shop, but they're not allowed to have a playdate with a friend who they're already spending all week with at school.

For all that it's hard to deny that we shouldn't all do what we can to keep safe, and for those who are moving house at the moment the advent of the virtual tour has been a godsend.

It's not so much that you can now buy a house entirely remotely — though we've heard stories this year of exactly that, even in the £5 million-plus bracket. It's more that you can whittle your shortlist down more effectively, and only view in person those places which you're truly serious about buying.

The virtual tour tech — if you're not sure how it works, we have a piece here which explains more — has been around for a few years, but has become more important than ever, and property portal OnTheMarket have collected a list of the most-virtually-viewed houses on the market during these last few locked-down weeks. Top of the list is an idyllic Welsh cottage in need of a bit of TLC, but it was the third property down the list which caught our eye: the sumptuous and grand Auchendennan House in Alexandria, Dunbartonshire.

This four-storey, 15-bedroom castle — for sale with Strutt & Parker via OnTheMarket — is set in 55 acres of The Trossachs, a few hundred yards from the south-west bank of Loch Lomond, and it's a sandstone marvel that's as striking a home as you could hope to find.

The grand architecture on the outside is just the start of a place that's full of fascinating details within, starting with the main hallway. A huge, carved stone fireplace and black-and-white chessboard tiled floor greet you upon entry before you move through into a grand space full of carved wooden details on the walls and ceilings, with a galleried landing and a skylight above making a real statement.

There are turrets and oak panels, balconies and spiral staircases, original flooring, wallpaper and plasterwork, stained glass windows and archways... in short, it's not hard to see why people have been using the Strutt & Parker virtual tour.

The house was commissioned in 1866, built on the site of an earlier Italianate mansion, and designed by Jon Burnet from for a Glasgow-based merchant named George Martin.

A later owner, William Chrystal, made more changes in the early 20th century, with Alexander Nisbet Paterson designing the new areas — including the Porte Cochere — and no less a figure than Charles Rennie Mackintosh designing the library.

More recent years have also seen work done, with a full refurbishment having been carried out and modern touches added.

One of the ground floor reception rooms currently serves as a gym, for example, while there is also an office, workshops and an electric car charging point that is very much a 21st century touch.

The work that has been done is clearly something of a labour of love for the present owner, who's been here seven years.

Outside the grounds include gardens, parkland and woodland, including a field used to keep a small herd of Highland Cattle.

There are also the wonderful views of Ben Lomond and Loch Lomond itself, while the villages of Balloch and Luss — the latter the site of the famed Loch Lomond Golf Course — are three and five miles away respectively.

Glasgow itself is barely much further — the owners say that you can be in the city (or at the airport) in half an hour, opening up all manner of possibilities for those who want a base but still need easy access around the world.

Auchendennan House is for sale at offers over £3.75m with Strutt & Parker via OnTheMarket — see more details and pictures.

Few of England’s great country estates can boast a provenance as illustrious as that of the late Lord Weinstock’s Bowden Park near Lacock, Wiltshire, on the market with Savills at a guide price of £35 million for the 1,450-acre domain as a whole, or £25m for the Grade I-listed, Georgian main house with stabling and outbuildings set in 639 acres of gardens, parkland, woods and farmland.

The original house at Bowden Park was built for George Johnson, whose father, William, moved in the early 1600s to Wiltshire, where he took a lease on Bowden Park. George’s success as a lawyer and politician enabled the Johnsons to buy the freehold from the Earl of Westmoreland in 1662. Then the estate was valued at £800, although, according to the historian John Aubrey, Johnson trebled its value through skilful husbandry and land management.

In 1751, Bowden Park was sold to wealthy landowner Ezekiel Dickinson of Monks Park, Corsham, who had the house rebuilt for his son, Barnard, before it later passed to the Dickinson Harmer family. The Classical 18th-century stone house was designed and built in 1796 by James Wyatt, the most fashionable country-house architect of his day.

In 1849, the estate was acquired by Captain John Neilson Gladstone, elder brother of four-times Prime Minister, William Ewart Gladstone. To celebrate the birth of a son in 1856, John Gladstone had St Anne’s Church built at the top of Bowden Hill. Known as ‘the church in the clouds’, it looks out across the county of Wiltshire, a mile to the east of the National Trust village of Lacock. Gladstone also extended the main house in about 1850.

The 19th-century extensions were reduced and remodelled in about 1955 by the then owner, K. Peacock and, by 1967, when Lord Weinstock bought Bowden Park, the estate included only 535 acres of land.

Today, thanks to the judicious acquisition of surrounding land and buildings over time, Bowden Park boasts a substantial mixed rural estate, comprising 68 acres of rolling parkland, 303 acres of arable, 59 acres of pasture and 186 acres of woodland, all of which surround the Georgian house and its 22 acres of immaculate gardens and grounds. The topography of the land and the spread of woodland across the estate could also allow the re-establishment of an excellent pheasant and partridge shoot.

Built on two storeys of ashlar under a slate roof, the grand 15,900sq ft house is Classically symmetrical in style, with a central bow front, where the original front door was placed, and finely detailed wings to either side.

In the 1950s, shortly before the building was listed, a large entrance porch was replaced by a new L-plan service wing. Consequently, it may be possible to alter some areas — notably the entrance hall — so they mould better with the Wyatt original.

Off the hall are five impressive reception rooms, all beautifully proportioned with high ceilings and well-lit by tall sash windows. The double-aspect drawing room showcases Wyatt’s original plasterwork in exquisite detail.

The distinctive, curved sage-green walls of the oval music room on the west front are flooded with light from three French windows that lead down to the terrace and the garden beyond.

On the north side of the music room, the elegant morning room enjoys wonderful views across the terrace to the surrounding parkland.

The library, smaller in size, but equally well proportioned, has original Wyatt bookcases and the south-facing dining room, linked by a mahogany door to the service wing, features Georgian panelling, sea-green patterned silk wallpaper and a fine marble fireplace.

A grand, cantilevered stone staircase, lit naturally by two sash windows above the half-landing, leads to the first floor and five principal bedrooms, including the oval bedroom, which has wonderful views across the rolling parkland.

A rear staircase leads from the service wing to a nursery and staff quarters on the first floor, while a cellar below the main wing houses an oval wine cellar and five further cellar rooms.

Further accommodation is available in the three-bedroom guest house and the impressive former stable block, both listed Grade II.

Lot 2, for sale at a guide price of £ 7.1m, comprises Ash Hill Farm and Great Lodge Farm — two fully-equipped arable and pasture farms, 704 acres in all. Lot 3, for sale at £1.6m, comprises the picturesque, 107-acre Nethermore Farm, a secluded smallholding with a three-bedroom farmhouse and a range of former farm buildings, now let until September 2023.

Also available is a portfolio of 12 houses and cottages scattered around the edge of the estate, seven of which are located on Bowden Hill.

Bowden Park is on the market with Savills at £35 million for the whole 1,450-acre property or £25m for the main houseand buildings with 639 acres — see more details and pictures..

The gloriously scenic Mandinam estate at Llangadog, near Llandovery, the name of which means ‘place without blemish’, lives up to its billing in every way. Seen from any angle, the views are spectacular — no doubt one of the reasons why The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall chose this part of the Principality for their eco-friendly retreat at Llwynywermod, three miles to the north-east as the crow flies.

For sale through Knight Frank, Tustins in Oxford and Llewellyn Humphreys in Carmarthen at a guide price of £2.75m for the whole, the unspoilt 362-acre Mandinam Estate on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park has been sympathetically farmed and nurtured for the past 50 years by dedicated owners, who have now reached retirement age.

Now, they’re looking for a new owner to take on this special place, be it as a family home, a sanctuary, a working farm, a business opportunity or, as it has been for them, a combination of all four.

At the high point of the estate, sheltered by belts of broadleaf woodland, is Grade II-listed Mandinam House, a handsome, double-pile country house of the late 17th or early 18th century.

The house was first mentioned in 1660, when its owner, G. Gwynne of Llanelwedd, Radnorshire, gave it to the theologian and writer Jeremy Taylor, who is said to have been with Charles I when he was executed. In 1710, the estate was sold to the Lloyd family of Wern Newydd and Glansevin, in whose hands it remained until the latter half of the 20th century.

Although now in need of modernisation, Mandinam House provides an excellent range of well-proportioned rooms, including a reception hall, four reception rooms, a kitchen/breakfast room, six bedrooms and a family bathroom.

Other useful buildings include a stone-built coach house, a guest cottage, a four-bedroom farmhouse and an untouched, Grade II*-listed long house.

Further income potential is supported by a range of modern farm buildings and four traditional shepherd’s huts dotted in idyllic locations around the estate.

When the present owners first took over the estate, they farmed it commercially for several decades, making full use of the sheep walks and common land grazing rights in the western half of the national park to run a herd of 100 cattle and more than 1,000 breeding ewes. Yet never was Nature sacrificed for productivity and today there are more hedges and native trees planted on the estate than when he and his young family arrived in 1970.

The Mandinam Estate is for sale at £2.75m — see more details and pictures.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

Credit: Taylor & Co via OnTheMarket

A magical cottage for sale in the Brecon Beacons, complete with a 'baby castle' annexe

Twr Mihangel is a beautiful cottage in the Brecon Beaacons that's been spectacularly decorated within — and has a self-contained

Is it the fairytales we read as tiny children? The television programmes and films we watch in later years? Or, as we get to the age when we buy our own properties, the idea of swapping a cramped home for something with nearly endless space?

We’re talking, of course, about the love affair with castles. Clearly a little bit of all three factors come into play when analysing the seemingly endless romantic appeal of a good castle, whether it’s a crumbling medieval pile or a newer creation self-consciously apeing the style of the past.

No matter what, though, the appeal is only heightened when the price tag attached to a castle for sale lets us dream of swapping a relatively modest pad for, say, a place offering 17,000ft of faded glory, as in this article we ran a couple of weeks ago. Yet ‘bargain’ castles are, obviously, the greatest of money pits. When even English Heritage explain that they don’t have pockets deep enough to restore places they already own, those who buy a wreck need to go in with eyes open.

Is there an answer, for those who dream of castle life, but without the deep pockets needed? Well, the answer is ‘sort of’. Every so often a beautiful wing of a castle comes to the market, giving many of the benefits of castle life at a relatively realistic price, and without the headaches of shouldering all the bills single-handed.

It just so happens that two such places are on the market at the moment within the walls of Thurland Castle in Lancashire near Tunstall, just a few miles south of Kirby Lonsdale.

First up we’ll take a look at The Cromwell Wing, for sale through Davis & Bowring via OnTheMarket at £990,000.

This three-bedroom, 3,500sq ft home really hits the mark right from the start: ‘Make an entrance into the oak panelled hall with decorative tiled floor and be sure to look up to admire the decorative ceiling and leaded windows,’ write the agents. ‘There’s also a beautiful leaded and stained window and a heraldic carving above the door leading into the drawing room.’

There are two living rooms, one a drawing room roughly 32ft by 20ft, and a living/dining/kitchen of similar proportions. The kitchen area in the latter is beautifully done, and has an island with a gorgeously-finished wooden work surface. It’s a shame to think that one day it’ll be cluttered with old envelopes, shopping bags and the remains of last Sunday’s papers, like most kitchen islands are.

On the first floor there are three bedrooms, all-en suite and one with a walk-in wardrobe, as well as a home office.

The other apartment is called The Courtyard, on the market (also via Davis & Bowring via OnTheMarket) for just a smidgeon more at £995,000. And while both are part of the same redevelopment, this couldn’t have a more different feel. It’s a fair bit smaller at just under 3,000sq ft, yet has separate living room, sitting room and kitchen-diner, with a utility room off the latter.

There are five bedrooms marked on the floorplan, all en-suite, though one is listed as a bedroom/study — perhaps a better use of the space, since it’s accessed directly off the living room.

Even more of a difference than the layout comes in the style: instead of wood-panelled walls, there’s a lighter and more modern vibe, with leaded windows in a Rennie-Mackintosh-influence style giving pretty character. The master bedroom in particular is a beautiful space, opening onto its own private roof terrace (there’s another accessed from the living room).

But it’s the hexagonal Morning Room that is the true highlight, with wonderful views looking out over the lawns and the moat.

Both apartments have been beautifully refurbished, so while you won’t have the true castle experience of having endless rooms to call your own, you also won’t have the equally true castle experience of wind whistling through poorly-fitting windows and doorframes.

It’s a similar story with the grounds. While both apartments have their own private outdoor space, the main bulk of the 10 acres at Thurland Castle are owned communally. Each comes with a 999-year lease and a share of the freehold, and there’s a fairly reasonable-sounding maintenance charge (the charges were just over £1,300 in 2020).

If you want your own space, unfettered by neighbours, then not much more could get you a five-bedroom house with pool and 12 acres of your own nearby; but then again, if you bought a house like that then you wouldn’t be able to tell people that you lived in a castle. Decisions, decisions.

The Courtyard and The Cromwell Wing at Thurland Castle are both for sale via Davis & Bowring via OnTheMarket. Follow the links for more images and pictures of The Courtyard and The Cromwell Wing.

Spectacular Scottish castles and estates for sale

A look at the finest castles, country houses and estates for sale in Scotland today.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

Best country houses for sale this week

An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for

We'll get the elephant out of the room early when talking about Glandyi Castle, because otherwise we're going to get swept away by the utterly idyllic lifestyle that a place like this — for sale via Strutt & Parker at £2.85m — offers the buyer on the lookout for a country home.

That elephant, as you may have guessed from the name, is location: if you're looking for a place that's a straightforward commute, then keep looking. The station at nearby Machynlleth will not so much whisk you to London as stir you there gently — it's a 4hr 30min journey. Driving will be no quicker, and even getting to the nearest cities, Birmingham or Cardiff, will take you most of three hours.

With that out of the way, it's time to enjoy what you do get with this magnificent, 19th-century Regency Gothic castle, standing high on a tree-covered hillside above a graceful curve of the Dovey Estuary.

It's a ten-bedroom, ten-bathroom, five-reception room home stretching to almost 9,000sq ft of space, all set within 31 acres of truly spectacular Welsh beauty.

The castle was built by a man named George Jeffreys on land bought by his grandfather, Edward, a Shrewsbury man who made a fortune in silver and lead mining in the 18th century.

It was a house built to impress, and 200 years on it still does — not least with the medieval-style atrium fitted with a stunning new glass roof.

There are also wood-panelled rooms, period details throughout and a master suite with high ceiling, fireplace and an extraordinary octagonal bathroom with a circular bath in the centre.

That bathroom isn't the only octagonal room: downstairs, the library mirrors the eight-sided shape, while there is also a pink marble fireplace, Gothic-style windows and a coved ceiling that would have made even John Nash smile.

Outside, the grounds are a mix of formal lawns, woodland, and paddocks; and if you're after a project, there's a Victorian walled garden, which has fallen into disrepair, crying out for a sympathetic hand to restore it to glory.

Beyond the main house there's also a series of outbuildings — barns, garaging, workshops and so on — as well as a separate, two-bedroom lodge which would be ideal for family, staff or as a holiday let.

And that location? Well, the gorgeous coastal towns of Aberdovey and Aberystwyth (with its university) are close by, with their charm, fine beaches and golf courses, as well as some superb pubs and restaurants nearby. And what with everybody working from home all the time right now, maybe putting up with that lengthy commute once a week wouldn't be such a difficulty after all...

Glandyfi Castle is for sale via Strutt & Parker at £2.85m — see more pictures and details.

Right now, the idea of swapping city life for the wilds of Scotland sounds great — almost too much so. And when we see a property for sale along the lines of Glencruitten House, that feeling gets even stronger. Especially when you consider that Glencruitten's price tag of £975,000 via Galbraith is less than you'd pay for a terraced townhouse in Henley.

Obviously, Henley is a little more convenient for getting to the capital than Glencruitten's location, just outside Oban, on the west coast of Scotland. But for those who are able to work from home with occasional forays to Britain's big cities will surely look at what's on offer here and wonder what more you could want.

This beautiful house, originally built in 1897 but with extra work done by the great Scots architect Robert Lorimer, has 13 bedrooms, enough reception rooms that its floorplan puts the Cluedo board to shame, and 16.5 acres of land which include lawns, woodland and a spectacularly pretty lake, complete with an irresistibly pretty boathouse.

Inside the turn-of-the-century feel of the place is unmistakable, with wood panelling, intricate ceiling details and plenty of natural light.

The hallway, with staircase turning up and around beneath a round arch, is a superb example, while the various sitting and dining rooms and kitchens — the house has previously been split into multiple dwellings — each have their own charm.

The great highlight, however, is the library — or the Lorimer Library, as its known, after its designer — which is accessed either from the main doorway or else, brilliantly, via a spiral staircase from the estate office below, from which you emerge half-way into the room, opposite a vast stone fireplace.

For the most part the pictures on this page speak for themselves: it's a truly stunning room, wood-panelled throughout and with a barrel-vaulted ceiling, and with fine views thanks to the fact that it occupies the upper floor of its own wing, which emerges at right angles from the rest of the house.

One particular feature is of special note: the organ at the end of the room, whose pipes sit atop the doorway.

It's not just any old organ, but rather an 'original grade A listed Ingram organ with Welte Philharmonic roleplay mechanism', according to the agents. It's included with the sale, but apparently needs some work to get it fully working again.

The 13 bedrooms (some currently used for other purposes), are mostly on the first floor, but two are on the second floor, and several — at each end of the building — are in parts of Glencruitten which can easily be used as self-contained accommodation.

One of these, known as the 'Turret Flat', features a huge room with the eponymous turret in one corner, from which there are magnificent views.

If you're looking for a spot for that desk for home working, you just found it.

Glencruitten House is for sale via Galbraith at £975,000 — see more details and pictures.

The sight of a fine folly, beautifully executed, is one of the joys of a journey through Britain. There are faux ruins, gingerbread houses and even — in one marvellous case — an enormous pineapple, in the unforgettable form of the Dunmore orangery.

Folly-mania was at its height in the 18th century, and that is where the example on this page dates to. Tawstock Castle was originally built in the 18th century as a hilltop folly on the Wrey Estate. It was then known simply as The Tower — the name under which it's still listed by Historic England — rather than 'Tawstock Castle', but it seems to have earned its rather grander, later title thanks to a 1980s extension (all built in local stone) which expanded the footprint and turned a folly into a house.

It has changed hands a few times since then, but the present owners — Nigel Wilson and his partner Lorna Curwen — have had the keys since the mid-2000s. Now, however, they are selling up, and the castle is for sale through Stags via OnTheMarket.com.

The heart of the house is a huge reception room — 35ft by 20ft — which takes up almost the whole of one floor, with a kitchen tucked into one of the towers in the corner.

The floor above is split into two more rooms, both en-suite, while further bedrooms are tucked in at the tops of the towers.

There's also a rooftop terrace, complete with castellations, which looks ideal for summer evening parties.

The outside of the place speaks for itself, but inside the castle is a lovely surprise: 'It’s a warm property, very cosy,' says Nigel. 'There are no spiders running around in draughty corners.'

Nigel first came across the castle while on holiday in the area with his family back in 2005. He ended up buying the place, which has been used as a holiday home ever since for him, his partner and his five sons — and it's not hard to imagine the fun that a quintet of boys must have had spending their summer holidays in a place which looks like it's a discarded film set from Ivanhoe. There are even four-poster beds in some of the rooms to complete the look.

'It looks every bit the castle, though it’s not quite Windsor!' says Nigel.

'When I first saw it I thought it was so quirky and I wanted to buy it. The thing that struck me is how it sits so majestically on top of the hill by virtue of it being built as a folly lookout tower.

'The property is so unique, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to purchase something so special.. I don’t think there’s anywhere like it.'

Tawstock Castle is for sale through Stags via OnTheMarket.com — see more details and pictures. 

Credit: Rettie

An estate that comes with two beautiful castles at the price of a three-bed semi in the suburbs

The Dalquharran Estate in Ayrshire offers a quite unbelievable opportunity: a pair of castles set in 260 acres of land

A guide to the native cattle breeds of Britain, from Aberdeen Angus to Jerseys

How many of these native cattle breeds would you recognise from travelling through the British countryside or from the butcher’s

Credit: Knight Frank

A majestic estate with 1,500 acres of rolling Scottish countryside and a completely self-sufficient home

Deep in the glens of Tweedsmuir Hills, Blackhouse Estate boasts almost 800 acres of forestry and a completely self-sustaining country

Sam Gibson, who heads up Scottish agent Galbraith’s new North of England office in Hexham, has hit the ground running with the launch onto the market of the ‘wildly romantic’, Grade I-listed Coupland Castle, near Wooler, Northumberland, which is for sale jointly with Strutt & Parker at a guide price of £1.9 million.

Unseen from any public road, it stands in 25 acres of gardens, paddocks and woodland traversed by the River Glen and adjoining the extensive Lanton estate — an idyllic setting presided over by the rolling Cheviot Hills to the south.

The sale follows the death, in October last year, of antique dealer and restorer Robin Jell, who bought the rambling historic building in 1979 and restored it over the years. He filled its many rooms with antiques and a large collection of pictures painted by his mother, the water-colourist Pauline Konody, and his maternal grandmother Isabel Codrington, who worked in oils — both exhibited widely during the 1920s and 1930s.

During their tenure, Mr and Mrs Jell skilfully maintained and embellished the 13,747sq ft main house, which boasts, in addition, a three-bedroom cottage and a lodge, both of which have been successfully rented out. A charming courtyard alongside the castle houses a variety of outbuildings, including a coach house/studio, a garage, three stables, a barn and workshops.

Within the main house, the accommodation, arranged over four levels, offers well-proportioned reception rooms, including the dual-aspect drawing room, library and spacious dining room, all of which have large bay windows and wonderful period fireplaces.

The first-floor rooms in the Georgian part of the house include a library and three bedrooms (two with en-suite bathrooms), with three further bedrooms on the second floor. The tower, with its 5ft-thick stone walls and spiral stone staircase, is arranged as a separate four-bedroom unit that has also been let in the past.

This part of Northumberland is sporting heaven, with some of the region’s finest rivers and sporting estates nearby, and hunting on the doorstep with the College Valley and North Northumberland Hunt. With Berwick mainline station a 16-mile drive and Newcastle airport less than 50 miles away, at Coupland Castle, the world of work can be as close or as far away as you would like it to be.

Although known as a castle, Coupland is in fact a late tower house, built of softly coloured volcanic rock with buff-sandstone dressings in three or four stages. It was the last fortified building to be constructed on the border in the late 1580s or early 1590s, following the recommendation of a Border Commission that a chain of forts be built to protect the frontier from marauding Scots.

The smaller, taller tower was probably built after the union of England and Scotland in 1603, by which time the border country was an altogether more peaceful place. The huge fireplace in the Court Room, or sitting room, on the ground floor of the tower is engraved with the date 1619 and the initials G.W. and M.W. for George and Mary Wallis, who owned Coupland at that time.

Other historic features include the upper spiral staircase, designed to be defended by a left-handed swordsman, and a resident ghost who was said to haunt the Court Room, before reputedly being exorcised in 1925. A separate farmhouse was added to the south-west of the tower in the 18th century.

In 1713, the swashbuckling Sir Chaloner Ogle bought Coupland from the Wallis family. Nine years later, when in command of HMS Swallow, Ogle saw action against the pirate fleet of the notorious Bartholomew Roberts in the Battle of Cape Lopez in February 1722, during which Roberts was killed by a broadside from Swallow.

In a brief, four-year career, Roberts is said to have captured as many as 456 ships, and up to 22 ships at once. The character of Capt Jack Sparrow in the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ films is based on Roberts, whose death, some say, marked the end of ‘the golden age of piracy’.

In 1806, Nathaniel Ogle sold Coupland Castle and its estate to Thomas Bates, who was succeeded in 1820 by the agriculturist Matthew Culley. He added the Georgian element of the present reception rooms, thus linking the tower and farmhouse.

In 1928, the Culleys sold Coupland to the Weidner family, who, in turn, sold it to Sir Walter Aitchison in 1938. Sir Walter took a keen interest in the gardens, planting the impressive arboretum to the east of the house that will soon be a sea of daffodils, snowdrops and bluebells. Coupland Castle was sold in 1971 and twice again before being purchased by the Jells in 1979.

Grade I-listed Coupland Castle, near Wooler, Northumberland, is for sale jointly with Galbraith and Strutt & Parker at a guide price of £1.9 million — see more details and pictures.

Spectacular Scottish castles and estates for sale

A look at the finest castles, country houses and estates for sale in Scotland today.

Credit: Steve Carr

Ireland's Wild Atlantic coast: Spectacular clifftops, dramatic castles and world-class golf

The coast of Ireland near Shannon and Limerick is unbearably beautiful and dramatic, whether you pack your golf clubs or

Owning a Scottish castle is a dream for millions of us. The idea of being laird of all you see, strolling the battlements and watching in satisfaction as an entire hog roasts in the giant stone fireplace are fantasies for anyone who's ever seen Ivanhoe.

Most of us would be prepared to do a bit of work to make it happen, too — a bit of decorating, and perhaps it wouldn't be the end of the world if you needed to call in a builder to check the roof or the doorways or some such.

The list of jobs at Knockhall Castle — in Newburgh, Aberdeenshire, not far from Donald Trump's golf resort — is a little more extensive than that, however. This really is a crumbling ruin; if much more had fallen down over the years it might have disappeared altogether. And indeed some of it has disappeared entirely, as Savills explain in the listing: 'South of the castle there was an enclosed courtyard, but all that now remains of this is a fragmentary round tower at the south east angle of the enclosure which incorporated a dovecot on its upper level.'

The state of the place isn't too surprising when you hear the history. Built in 1565 or thereabouts, it was erected by Lord Sinclair but became the headquarters of Clan Udny in 1634. They stayed her for exactly a century, barring a spell during which they were forcibly ejected by the Covenanters. The Udnys returned and stayed here until 1734, when a fire ravaged the place — presumably an out-of-hand centenary party — and it has remained a ruin ever since.

What remains of the tower is believed to have undergone quite a few changes, particularly in the 17th century. Not the least of these is the large windows, which will — if the place finds a new owner to restore it — give magnificent views across the local countryside.

The pictures make clear that there is serious work to do here, and the asking price of £130,000 — a fair bit less than a mildly-specced-up Range Rover, and substantially cheaper than a Bentley — means that the new owner will likely have plenty of cash left over to bring in engineers, architects and builders to restore the castle.

Yet in a sense there is actually less to do than might initially meet the eye, as the listing explains: 'The tower is externally complete and in an example such as this there is often sufficient evidence for a tower to be restored for modern occupation without detracting from its historic significance.'

The agents even have a few ideas of their own to get the ball rolling: 'The planning of this tower, with a large stair serving the two wings, and with ample light through the large rectangular windows, would also make its adaptive re-use possible.'

Naturally, should any redevelopment get the go-ahead from the relevant authorities, the first experts who'll need to come on the scene are archaeologists. Once the secrets of the Sinclairs and Udnys have been discovered, the way will be clear for a magnificent restoration. We await with interest seeing what happens.

Knockhall Castle is for sale via Savills at £130,000. You can see more details here.

Spectacular Scottish castles and estates for sale

A look at the finest castles, country houses and estates for sale in Scotland today.

We're always wary of marketing types attempting to pass things toff as the 'new this' or the 'new that'. Thus, the efforts of estate agents to brand Northamptonshire as the 'new Cotswolds' has often led us to raise an eyebrow.

That's not to disparage what is, in parts, a breathtakingly pretty county. Towns such as Oundle are the equal of pretty much anything you'll find in Gloucestershire or Oxfordshire, and thatched cottages built from golden stone are a common sight. What's more, they're invariably up for sale at prices which are a fraction of what you'd pay further west.

Take as a perfect example the property on this page: Astwell Castle, near Brackley. This spectacularly pretty place is for sale at £1.5m via Knight Frank; the same sort of money would limit you to something like this very pleasant, but by comparison unremarkable barn conversion in somewhere like Bourton-on-the-Water.

Astwell Castle is formed from the gatehouse belonging to a former fortified 15th-century manor house. Set amid glorious countryside, the Grade II*-listed, four-bedroom property is full of period details, from mullion windows to a spiral stone staircase.

One of the highlights is the original medieval carved stone-fronted chimneypiece with escutchens in the drawing room.

The house includes several outbuildings and 30 acres of land, among which is the Gatehouse Tower, a Scheduled Ancient Monument in need of repair — and given that the property is Grade II*-listed, a new owner will want to make sure exactly what they're taking on before they commit.

That said, there seems to be nothing too scary here to put off a buyer. There is work to be done, as the pictures on this page show, but the house was restored in the 1950s, so this is by no means a crumbling ruin.

What's more, there is a huge amount of potential to add value, with attic and tower rooms that could be converted into extra residential space. The fact that the tower opens up onto the castellated roof will only add to the potential glamour of an apartment in the upper levels of this fine house.

The outbuildings also have potential along those lines, with permission in place to turn some of them into stables with flats above.

All of this comes in an incredibly accessible spot that's not far from the motor racing circuit Silverstone, with easy access to both M40 and M1 for access to London, Oxford, Birmingham and beyond.

Astwell Castle is for sale via Knight Frank at £1.5m — see more details and pictures.

Northamptonshire: the new Cotswolds?

Country house buyers should look in Northamptonshire for good transport links, excellent country houses and stone villages as pretty as

Credit: Alamy

Oundle: Britain's most perfectly-preserved Georgian market town?

Matthew Rice pays homage to Oundle, a beautifully-preserved market town that is one of the jewels of Northamptonshire.

Credit: Savills

A Grade I-listed house so big it should probably be measured in acres rather than square feet

Hinwick House, on the border of Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire, is big — very big. It's also exquisitely charming, as Penny Churchill

Is everybody burned out? You’d be forgiven for thinking so, as our lives are increasingly squeezed in between news alerts, emails and social-media pings — and that’s before we get into the office. Even on holiday we’re expected to be available 24/7, so it’s hardly a surprise if we’re frazzled.

Of course, the most successful among us like to reward themselves with respite from the madding crowds; a country estate offers privacy, peace and quiet and the giddy experience of calling thousands of acres of glorious countryside your own. And as the world becomes increasingly fast-paced, the wild landscapes and sheer scale of Scottish estates can start to look extremely appealing.

Evelyn Channing from Savills says she can certainly understand the draw: ‘Losing yourself in the back of beyond is a very effective antidote to our hyper-connected world,’ she remarks. Emma Chalmers of Galbraith thinks the Highlands, in particular, offer a beauty to which buyers really respond. ‘There is a real romance connected to the Scottish countryside,’ she says.

‘Since the days of Queen Victoria, Brits have fallen hard for the Highlands — the landscape is extremely therapeutic.’

In terms of what’s on offer, the sheer variety of the landscapes in Scotland mean that every single estate is different, as Mrs Chalmers points out: ‘Perthshire has pretty countryside, lots of lovely green trees and forests and fantastic salmon and trout fishing, as, up in the north, you find the heady drama of vast mountains and breathtaking views. To the west, you’re looking at owning some coastline and possibly a sea loch or two.’

For those keen on sport, Scotland is the only place where you can literally have it all. ‘The all-round sporting estate, offering salmon, trout, red deer, grouse, pheasant, partridge, woodcock and snipe all in one spot, is something you can only really get north of the border,’ Mrs Channing explains. These estates also offer land on a scale unseen in the South; Mrs Channing’s largest estate sale to date was Loch Choire in 2016, which totalled 32,500 acres of jaw-dropping land in Sutherland.

In contrast, an English estate might offer some 5,000 or 6,000 acres and the property would be vastly more expensive. ‘The affordability factor certainly makes Scottish estates an attractive option,’ explains Tom Stewart-Moore of Knight Frank.

‘About £2 million could buy you a family house in the south-east of England or an estate offering thousands of acres, salmon fishing, a pheasant shoot, stalking and over a mile of terrific coastline up here.’

Of course, sport has traditionally been a huge draw for buyers in Scotland, but the value placed on these landscapes is no longer defined by the quality of the shooting or stalking. A clear policy shift towards sustainability and environmental concerns on behalf of both Defra and the Scottish Government means that the ‘natural capital’ of estates is becoming valuable in itself. ‘Buyers with an eye on futureproofing their assets can see that the direction of travel seems to be towards conservation,’ says Mrs Channing.

‘These lands — with their grasses, trees, water, deep bogs, minerals and even their air — could potentially become extremely valuable as agricultural subsidies are rethought and landowners are rewarded for protecting what’s left of our natural world.’

Mr Stewart-Moore agrees: ‘Our buyers are certainly keen to embrace the sustainability side of things. We have many new owners who want to plant trees in large numbers because it’s great for the environment, smart from a tax point of view and practical as the price of timber continues to rise.’

Mrs Chalmers says the younger generation especially is thinking in an entrepreneurial way. ‘They want to make the most of their land, whether it’s by investing in hydro power, starting a distillery or a farm shop or renovating the cottages as holiday houses. It’s wonderful because so many of these landscapes can have enormous potential.’

Only a handful of Scottish estates come onto the market every year and it can take time for a buyer to find what he really wants, according to Robert McCulloch of Strutt & Parker. ‘Each property offers different elements in very different locations, so buyers need to work out what their priorities are and go from there. Clarity is important,’ he advises.

In addition, finding an agent who knows their stuff is crucial for buyers, not least because, according to Mr McCulloch, between 10% and 20% of Scottish estate sales take place off market. Mrs Chalmers says this is because many vendors wish their business to remain private. ‘Selling an estate that has been in your family for centuries can be a very difficult thing to do,’ she explains. ‘Often, vendors would rather find a buyer privately.’

Stock levels across the country have been low for the past year or so, says Mrs Channing. ‘People seem to think there isn’t the appetite out there for estates and so don’t want to go to the market, but that is absolutely not the case,’ she says. ‘These properties are not merely exceptional venues for fieldsports in beautiful locations, but potentially a very smart investment in the future.’

Three great Scottish estates for sale

Hensol Estate — Dumfries and Galloway, £2.815 million

The Hensol Estate is a compact, accessible, coastal patch of 632 acres with a Category A-listed house and a superb landscaped garden at its heart. A pretty gate lodge, four cottages and a farmhouse with extensive outbuildings make up the rest of the properties.

Almost a quarter of the land is given over to forestry and woodland and a well-regarded pheasant shoot was run at Hensol until 2012; there are also opportunities for woodcock, snipe and wildfowling, as well as brown-trout fishing. For sale at £2.815 million via Strutt & Parker — see more details and pictures.

Glenaros — Isle of Mull, £2 million

Glenaros is a 2,000-acre residential and sporting estate on the east coast of the island of Mull. It has 1.3 miles of coastline offering spectacular views of the Sound of Mull, a five-bedroom principal property, five additional properties and an in-hand farming enterprise.

In terms of sport, there’s salmon and sea-trout fishing on the River Aros, a pheasant shoot and red-deer stalking in addition to woodcock and snipe, with wildfowling along the foreshore. For sale via Knight Frank — see more details and pictures.

Kildrummy Estate — Aberdeenshire, £9.5 million

Spread over 5,500 acres, the Kildrummy Estate has not one, but two principal houses, plus about 2,000 acres of farmland and 1,300 acres of commercial forestry and native woodlands.

Sporting opportunities include salmon and trout fishing on the River Don, grouse shooting and deer stalking on the higher ground, and roe-deer stalking on the woodland fringe, all of which allows for year-round sport. For sale through Savills at £9.5m — see more details and pictures.

Spectacular Scottish castles and estates for sale

A look at the finest castles, country houses and estates for sale in Scotland today.

Credit: Strutt & Parker

An estate with glorious views and a library tower on the shores of Loch Ness

This spectacularly-located estate on the banks of Loch Ness offers grand accommodation, miles of land and a castellated tower with

Credit: Galbraith

Your own loch and 65 acres of Scottish countryside for the price of small flat on the outskirts of London

It’s been a relatively quiet year for Scottish sporting estates, with supply down by 30% year-on-year, reports Robert McCulloch, head of farms and estates sales for Strutt & Parker north of the Border. However, Mr McCulloch expects British and overseas interest for the 563-acre Cairnty sporting and residential estate on the banks of the River Spey near Fochabers.

Launched by Strutt & Parker in recent weeks for ‘offers over £2.65m’, it comprises a Georgian-style country house set in several acres of lovely gardens and grounds, with spectacular views across the Spey Valley.

The estate offers excellent pheasant shooting, roe-deer stalking and trout fishing, as well as opportunities for farming, forestry and residential development.

Designed and commissioned by the owners to their own specification and ‘built without compromise’ with input from local architect Kenneth Lawson, Cairnty House stands on an elevated site facing west across the lower River Spey.

The express intention was to combine family living (the present owners have three children) with space for entertaining house parties for salmon-fishing weeks on the Spey, winter shooting parties and extended family gatherings at Christmas, Easter and other festive occasions.

‘This is a house designed for family living and entertaining – and it does just that,’ says Mr McCulloch.

To this end, the 11,964sq ft of living space includes a reception hall with a galleried landing above that can serve as a dining room for larger parties of guests.

The kitchen and breakfast room includes a large central island and a recessed breakfast area – stylish and practical, it is the heart of the house.

The drawing room is light and spacious, with direct access to the terrace, and the dining room is sizeable (but not too large) with access to the adjoining kitchen.

Unlike many original Georgian houses in Scotland, Cairnty House boasts several bedroom suites, the first-floor master suite being exceptionally spacious. Three of four further first-floor bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms and the fourth has its own shower room. Extensive attic rooms offer potential for conversion to additional accommodation.

The land is mainly given over to livestock farming, which is let, together with game shooting and a combination of amenity and commercial forestry and woodland. The driven pheasant shoot is excellent, enabling up to 10 days a season; the estate also offers exciting roe-deer stalking and brown-trout fishing on the famous River Spey.

The salmon-fishing rights are not owned by the vendor, although salmon fishing is available to rent on several prime beats in the locality. The estate comes with a three-bedroom cottage, two uninhabited houses suitable for renovation and a range of useful outbuildings.

Cairnty estate is on the market with Strutt & Parker for ‘offers over £2.65m’. Click here for more information and details.

Credit: Strutt & Parker

A vast Scottish estate for sale that includes five of the Munros, at the cost of a central London flat

Pait and West Monar is a Scottish estate of enormous proportions that's full of all sorts of potential.

Credit: Savills

A dozen magnificent homes, as seen in Country Life

Our regular collection of homes featured in Country Life over the past few weeks features an eye-wateringly beautiful Scottish castle

Spectacular Scottish castles and estates for sale

A look at the finest castles, country houses and estates for sale in Scotland today.

Credit: Savills

A stunning Cotswold estate with a historically significant 13th century castle, an adjoining manor house and over 400 acres of land

An iconic castle estate dating back to 1225, Beverston Castle sits in an idyllic location with superb sporting opportunities.

Credit: Galbraith

Your own loch and 65 acres of Scottish countryside for the price of small flat on the outskirts of London

A castle in Yorkshire has been removed from the ‘at risk’ register, thanks to extensive repair work.

Plans for a multi-million-pound project to restore Pontefract Castle began 10 years ago and work was completed last week. Historic England has since been removed from the castle from the at risk register.

The castle, which dates back to 1070, was deemed to be at risk in 2003 due to the poor condition of the ruins. Wakefield Council launched the £5 million ‘Key to the North’ project, backed by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, to protect the castle from further damage.

The work involved stabilising structures, opening areas not seen for hundreds of years and conserving and protecting the ruins of the monument.

‘One of the key aims of the project was the removal of the castle from the at risk register, so this is a very exciting day for all of us,’ said councillor Peter Box. ‘It is the culmination of years of work by the council and its partners and I am delighted at our achievement.

‘However, our work doesn't stop here. We have agreed a management and maintenance plan to continue to look after the castle going forward and to ensure it remains in a good state of repair.’

Changes to the monument include removal of masses of vegetation, which has revealed much more of the castle ruins, installing a new bandstand, paths, steps and a viewing platform above the Swillington Tower. A new visitor centre has also been built, complete with cafe and shop.

Neil Redfern, principal inspector of ancient monuments at Historic England, added that he was ‘delighted’ the castle could be removed from the at risk register.

‘The extensive programme of repair works has made it structurally sound and increased accessibility to parts of the site, while the new visitor centre, engaging signage and extensive events programme has transformed the castle into a major tourist attraction and a well-used local amenity,’ he said.

The Key to the North project has been funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic England, Wakefield Council, the Wolfson Foundation and landfill charity EpaC.

Credit: Jackson-Stops & Staff

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It's no secret that you can buy a giant wreck for next to nothing. A 20-bedroom castle went under the hammer last year at just £500,000, for example, and a beautiful, crumbling place in Devon recently sold for £750,000.

Yet even in the light of those places the example on this page — the Dalquharran Estate near Girvan in Ayrshire, just down the road from the famous Turnberry golf course — is still a rather incredible bargain.

Agents Rettie have slapped a price tag of just £800,000 on this 261-acre estate that contains two irresistibly romantic castles.

It's such a bargain, actually, that between us writing this article and scheduling it for publication, the agents received an offer.

It remains listed on their website for now, however, so anyone who feels they might have missed out might be advised to keep abreast of how the sale progresses. After all, this is a place where the survey is pretty much guaranteed to throw up a few issues.

That's because the castles included aren't just run down, or sporting dodgy avocado bathrooms and wood-chip wallpaper in the hallway. They are full on wrecks, shells of their glorious former selves.

Dalquharran Old Castle is the older of the two, dating to the late 15th century but greatly expanded to become a 'stately castle' in 1679.

The 'new' castle is dubbed the Robert Adam Dalquharran Castle, Robert Adam being the architect who erected the famously picturesque Culzean Castle, which sits above a clifftop just a few miles away.

The estate also includes several other buildings ripe for renewal and development, roughly 160 acres of farmland — a mixture of arable and pasture — with the rest of the estate being woodland.

And all for £800,000, the same price that you'd pay for a semi-detached new build in the Surrey town of Reigate, a four-bed house in Lancashire or a pleasant flat in the centre of Edinburgh. No wonder Dalquharran was snapped up quick-smart.

The Dalquharran Estate is on the market, but currently under offer, at £800,000 via Rettie — see more pictures and details.

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